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THE    JEw.SH     PUBL.CATION    SOC.ETY 
OF    AMERICA 

Loaned  to  the 
<NTERCOLLEG1ATE   MENQRAH   AS£oc|ation 

FOR    USE    AT 

"NPVERS.TV    OK    CAL(FORN,A 


Sons  of  tbe  Covenant 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT 

A    TALE    OF    LONDON    JEWRY 


BY 

SAMUEL  GORDON 

Author  of  "Lesser  Destinies."  "Strangers  at  the  Gate,"  etc. 


PHILADELPHIA 

THE  JEWISH  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY    OF   AMERICA 


"> 


Copyright,  1900,  by 
The  Jewish  Publication  Society  of  America 


J* 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

DhiWN  by  Mark  Zangwill 
J 

The    paid    investigator    invited    his    two    companions 

to  enter     ........     Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

it  Ain't  I  peeling  as  hard   as  I  can?"         .         .         .         .13 

"i  want  to  do  business  with  you — in  the  wholesale"     94 

"leuw,  dear,  won't  you  have  anything  to  do  with  me?"  168 

*«  I'm    going    to  tell  you  the  truth  now,"  said  Dulcie 

resolutely       .........  265 

"Then  you  approve  of  our  Scheme?"  exclaimed    Phil 

EAGERLY      ..........    369 

THE   GREAT  OPPORTUNITY  OF  HIS  LIFE         .....    433 

UAND    HAPPENED    TO    LOOK    THROUGH    THE     WINDOW     AT     THE 

WRONG  TIME  ".........    491 


PART  I 

CHAPTER  I 

"  Diamond,"  said  his  wife. 

1  What's  up  now?  "  came  the  grudging  answer  from 
over  the  top  of  a  newspaper. 

'  I  want  you  to  do  a  little  something  for  me." 

'  You  and  your  little  somethings — just  the  proper 
thing  for  a  man  after  twelve  hours'  work  down  at  the 
Deptford  Meat  Market,  killing  seventeen  bul- 
locks. .  .  ." 

Mr.  Diamond  was  a  "  ritual  slaughterer,"  whose 
office  it  is  to  make  beef,  mutton,  or  veal  out  of  live 
cattle  for  his  coreligionists'  consumption,  in  accord- 
ance with  Mosaic  traditional  precept.  <- 

'Seventeen  bullocks?  Well,  nobody's  going  to 
make  you  the  eighteenth;  so  you  needn't  bellow  like 
that,"  broke  in  Mrs.  Diamond  with  her  Thursday- 
morning  voice. 

"  I  ain't  bellowing,  Becky,  my  dear,"  remonstrated 
Mr.  Diamond,  who  had  allowed  himself  by  a  rapt 
perusal  of  an  interesting  libel  case  to  forget  who  his 
interlocutor  was. 

Mrs.  Diamond,  it  was  notorious,  possessed  three 
sizes  of  voice.  Size  number  one  she  reserved  ex- 
clusively for  the  wife  of  the  local  M.  P.,  a  coreligion- 
ist, with  whom  she  came  into  contact  at  election  times, 
and  whom  she  had  inveigled  into  the  belief  that  Mr. 


6  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

Diamond  was  a  man  of  influence  in  the  constituency. 
Size  number  two  she  employed  in  speaking  to  or- 
dinary people — her  husband  included.  The  third  size, 
the  one  referred  to  above  as  her  Thursday-morning 
voice,  stood  her  in  good  stead  while  battling  with  ex- 
tortionate fishmongers  for  her  Sabbath  fish;  but  she 
also  made  it  serve  her  on  occasions  when  things  were 
not  going  entirely  her  way,  especially  with  Mr.  Dia- 
mond; and  then  Mr.  Diamond  answered  with  hu- 
mility— that  is,  if  he  answered  at  all. 

"  Why  can't  you  do  a  thing  without  first  arguing 
about  it?  "  continued  Mrs.  Diamond,  somewhat  mol- 
lified. "  Don't  I  do  enough  for  you?  I  wonder  what 
sort  of  a  reputation  you'd  have,  if  I  didn't  use  all  my 
spare  time  going  round  to  people  and  telling  them 
you're  the  best  husband  in  the  world?  And  they  be- 
lieve me,  don't  you  make  a  mistake;  I  don't  leave  off 
talking  till  they  do.     Wish  I  could  believe  it  myself.'' 

"  WTish  you  could,  Becky,  my  dear,"  echoed  Mr. 
Diamond,  piously. 

"  Shocking,  the  way  you  put  yourself  out  to  make 
me — eh?';  And  Mrs,.  Diamond  exhaled  irony  from 
every  pore.  "  Diamond,  I  know  what  you're  after. 
You  want  to  make  yourself  precious.  You  want  to 
show  me — fling  it  down  my  throat,  even  if  I  choke 
over  it — what  a  treasure  it  is  for  a  woman  that  never 
had  no  schooling  herself  to  have  a  man  to  do  her  a  bit 
of  writing  at  times — if  he  wants  to,  that  is.  Don't 
you  fear;  I  can  see  your  little  game.  One  of  these 
days  you  think  I'll  talk  myself  dead  begging  a  favor 
from  you,  and  then  perhaps  you  won't  mind  writing 
something  to  be  put  on  my  tombstone.  .  .  ." 

'  But  I'll  write  it  this  instant,  Becky,  my  dear." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  7 

"What,   the  tombstone?" 

"  How  can  you  be  so  stupid? — the  letter,  of  course. 
Quick,  I'm  ready." 

Mr.  Diamond  had  hastily  extracted  a  sheet  of  note- 
paper  from  the  table-drawer,  and  sat,  his  pen  as  it 
were  cocked  like  a  trigger,  ready  for  the  word  of  com- 
mand. But  the  torrent  of  dictation  which,  judging 
from  past  experience,  he  expected  to  deluge  him  was 
not  forthcoming.  Instead,  Mrs.  Diamond  seemed 
possessed  by  a  strange  hesitation. 

"  I  wish  you  wouldn't  be  so  sharp — you've  quite 
flustered  me,"  she  observed,  glaringly  inconsistent. 

"  Take  your  time,  my  dear;  I  know  how  hard  it  is 
to  start  a  letter  properly." 

"  Who  said  it  was  a  letter?  "  asked  Mrs.  Diamond. 

"You   did,   didn't  you?-" 

"  Of  course  you  always  know  better  what  I  mean 
than  I  do  myself." 

"  Becky,  my  dear,  you  haven't  made  up  any  poetry, 
have  you?  " 

"  Poetry?  Stuff!  Diamond,  listen  to  me:  I  want 
you  to  commit  a  forgery." 

Here  Mr.  Diamond  ought  to  have  exclaimed,  "  My 
prophetic  soul,"  but  unfortunately  he  was  not  ac- 
quainted with  the  quotation,  which  was  a  pity.  It 
would  have  been  such  a  nice  way  of  expressing  the 
little  thrills  of  vague  apprehension  at  the  circum- 
locutory fashion  in  which  his  wife  had  preferred  her 
request — a  fashion  varying  so  signally  from  all  pre- 
cedent. But  if  he  could  not  cap  the  situation  with  any 
apt  quotation,  he  did  something  similar:  he  got  up  and 
fitted  his  hat  on  his  head. 

"Why!  where  are  you  off  to?':  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Diamond. 


8  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

44  To  the  police  station/'  replied  Mr.  Diamond 
calmly.  44  You  ask  me  to  commit  a  forgery;  that 
means  the  thing  is  as  good  as  done.  I  may  as  well 
start  doing  my  ten  years  as  soon  as  possible." 

Mrs.  Diamond  sat  silent,  awed  by  her  husband's 
loyalty  to  the  laws  of  his  country  or  by  the  patent  trib- 
ute to  her  domestic  ascendancy — she  did  not  exactly 
know  which.  To  solve  her  indecision  she  got  into  a 
temper. 

"  What  a  hurry  he's  in  to  make  me  out  a  piece  of 
God-help-us !  There's  an  opinion  to  have  of  your 
wife  that's  worried  and  fretted  and  slaved  alongside 
of  you  twenty-seven  years  come  next  Passover.  Now 
out  with  it — what  d'you  think  I'm  more  of,  a  rogue 
or  a  fool?  You  won't  say — I  dare  say  you  won't; 
you  know  when  you're  well  off.  Forgery — prison — 
Becky  Diamond.  To  heaven  I  want  to  bring  you, 
and  you  won't  let  me!  " 

"  I  do  want  to  let  you,  but  not  just  yet,"  replied 
her  husband,  who,  of  course,  had  no  intention  what- 
ever of  gratuitously  delivering  himself  over  to  jus- 
tice, but  was  fain  to  utilize  the  incident  as  an  excuse 
for  stepping  across  the  way  to  take  a  hand  in  a 
44  friendly  game." 

Mrs.  Diamond  listened  in  vain  for  the  least  little 
tinge  of  flippancy  in  his  reply.  But  Mr.  Diamond's 
luck  held  good  that  day,  and  his  wife  conjectured 
from  his  "  not  just  yet"  a  reverent  reluctance  to  part 
with  this  life,  which  could  only  be  construed  into  an 
indirect  compliment  to  her.  Thus  appeased,  she  came 
at  once  to  the  business  in  hand,  wherein  a  square 
printed  form  she  submitted  to  him  apparently  was  to 
take  a  leading  part. 


>  V 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY 

"  Fill  that  in,"  she  dictated,. 

"  Board  of  Guardians  for  the  Relief  of  the  Jewish 
Poor,"  read  Mr.  Diamond.     "  First  Application." 

"  Who's  applying?     As  you  say  it's  to  be  a  forgery, 
it  can't  be  myself." 

Mrs.  Diamond  bit  dead  a  sarcastic  comment  on  his 
powers  of  inference. 

"  No,  not  yourself,  it's  Mrs.  Lipcott,"  she  replied 
instead. 

"  Mrs,.  Lipcott?  '      Mr.  Diamond  laid  aside  the  pen. 

k  Why    doesn't    she    make    her    youngsters    write    it? 

They're  through  the  sixth  standard,  or  one  of  'em  is." 

'  Because  she  doesn't  know  anything  about  it;  it's 
my  own  idea,  and  I  am  doing  it  on  my  own  little  hook. 
Se"e?" 

'  Can't  say  I  do.  Don't  think  you've  got  the  right 
to  make  people  paupers  behind  their  backs,"  answered 
Mr.  Diamond  quite  resolutely. 

'  Better  they  should  make  corpses  of  themselves, 
eh?  And  that's  what  she'll  do;  on  my  blessed  word, 
she'll  wash  herself  dead  before  she's  a  year  older.  Per- 
haps you  don't  know  she  goes  to  bed  with  mustard 
plasters  on  her  arms?  " 

'  How  should  I  ?  But  even  that  doesn't  explain 
why  you  should  take  this  responsibility  on  yourself." 
Yes,  it  does,"  snapped  Mrs.  Diamond;  "  she's  one 
of  those  stupid  persons  you've  got  to  protect  against 
themselves.  She'll  work  and  work  and  not  once  ask 
what  the  clock  says.  And  what'll  be  the  end?  An- 
other bed  will  be  wanted  at  the  Home  for  Incurables, 
and  her  two  youngsters  will  be  in  the  scramble  for  the 
orphan  asylum,  and  there'll  be  more  charity  appeals, 
and  more  money'll  be  wanted,  and — I  wonder  where 


IO  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

the  community  would  be  if  there  wasn't  myself  and 
one  or  two  others  to  remember  that  k  a  stitch  in  time 
saves  nine.'  Perhaps  you've  dawdled  long  enough 
now? 

"  Oh,  I'm  quite  ready,  but — just  a  moment.  Sup- 
pose you  put  the  case  like  that  to  the  woman  herself?  ' 

"  Put  it  to  her?     I've  rammed  it  down  her  throat." 

"Well?" 

"  She  shakes  her  head  and  smiles.  If  she'd  at  least 
answer  me,  and  make  a  big  fuss  about  wanting  to  be 
independent,  and  then  go  begging  on  the  quiet!  But 
she  doesn't,  she  just  smiles,  and  lets  you  guess  any- 
thing you  like.  That's  what  I  call  pride  peeping 
out  through  broken  boot-tips.  Who  doesn't  help 
herself  from  the  Soup  Kitchen  during  the  winter?  Mrs. 
Lipcott.  Who  doesn't  go  to  the  Thursday  grocery 
distribution?  The  identical,.  Who  doesn't  let  her 
children  take  the  boots  and  corduroys  that's  to  be  had 
for  the  asking  at  the  school?  I  needn't  mention  the 
name.  That's  the  kind  of  creature  she  is,  and — you'll 
make  me  choke,  Diamond;  haven't  you  started  yet?' 

"  Why,  I'm  starting  as  fast  as  I  can.  Where's  that 
Evening  News?  It's  all  right,"  he  replied  hastily. 
"  I'm  only  looking  for  the  date.  Oh,  by  the  way,  how 
do  you  think  the  Board  can  help  her?  ' 

"  By  lending  or  giving  her  a  few  pounds  to  open  a 
little  all-sorts  shop  with.  Then,  as  the  boys  grow 
up,  they'll  help  her  or  get  apprenticed  to  a  trade,  and 
she'll  yet  have  a  chance  of  knowing  what  it's  like  to 
have  gray  hairs  on  her  head.  It's  a  sensible  plan,  or 
it  wouldn't  be  me  that  had  thought  of  it.  Diamond, 
will  you  or  won't  you?  " 

In  genuine  trepidation  Mr.  Diamond  applied  him- 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  n 

self  to  his  task.  He  called  out  the  queries  by  which 
the  applicant  is  catechized,  and  Mrs.  Diamond  sup- 
plied the  requisite  answers.  As  to  her  accuracy  there 
could  be  no  possible  doubt,  because  she  notoriously 
made  it  a  duty  to  acquaint  herself  intimately  with  the 
life-histories  of  all  who  came  into  her  personal  cog- 
nizance. Cupboard  skeletons  she  had  made  a 
specialty. 

The  details  of  information  thus  collected  formed  a 
tolerable  biography  of  Mrs.  Lipcott  to  date.  From 
them  it  appeared  that  she  was  thirty-four  years  old, 
that  she  had  been  a  widow  for  half  a  decade,  that  she 
had  two  male  children  aged  thirteen  and  twelve  re- 
spectively. There  were  also  items  concerning  place 
of  abode,  occupation,  genealogy,  the  last  to  the  effect 
that  she  derived  herself  from  foreign  parents,  and 
had  immigrated  at  the  age  of  four.  It  also  transpired 
that  she  had  no  relatives  living  in  London  or,  in  fact, 
anywhere  else. 

Mrs.  Diamond  did  not  desist  till  she  had  the  docu- 
ment read  to  her  four  times,  and  had  seen  it  safely 
enveloped.  It  was  to  be  posted  first  thing  next  morn- 
ing. She  generously  consented  to  defray  postage  out 
of  her  housekeeping  allowance.  By  that  time  it  was 
ten  o'clock.  Desperately  Mr.  Diamond  tried  to  sum- 
mon up  courage  to  ask  for  furlough  to  snatch  an 
hour's  transport  from  the  hazard  of  the  card-game 
across  the  way;  but  at  the  critical  moment  his  heart 
failed  him,  and,  as  the  nearest  alternative,  he  went 
and  smothered  his  chagrin  under  the  bedclothes. 


CHAPTER  II 

Thrust  away  somewhere  amid  the  architectural  tan- 
gle of  the  Spitalfields  district  is  Narrow  Alley.  It 
bears  a  disconsolate,  dumbfounded  look,  like  that  of  a 
child  which  has  lost  its  way  among  a  crowd,  and  its 
score  or  so  of  hovel  houses  seem  to  be  spending  their 
time  all  day  in  manufacturing  apologies  for  surviving. 
The  top  stories  on  either  side  sloped  yearningly  for- 
ward towards  one  another,  and  had  the  dwellings 
been  but  a  little  taller,  the  alley  would  have  been  a  tun- 
nel; as  it  was,  the  daylight  managed  to  squeeze  itself 
through  the  slit  by  dint  of  much  exertion,  which  re- 
duced it  to  the  very  shadow  of  itself. 

Just  at  present  that  did  not  so  much  matter,  be- 
cause it  was  evening,  the  same  evening,  in  fact, 
whereon  Mrs.  Lipcott's  application  for  relief  was  being 
fabricated  by  the  Diamond  couple.  The  interior  of 
Mrs.  Lipcott's  house  in  Narrow  Alley,  of  which  house 
she  shared  tenancy  with  an  infinite  number  of  other 
families,  could  not  be  said  to  disprove  violently  her 
fitness  to  rank  as  a  recipient  of  charity.  Its  furniture 
was  severely  simple,  with  a  leaning  toward  the  an- 
tique and  a  desire  to  resolve  itself  once  more  into  its 
constituent  elements.  But  besides  its  decrepit  chairs, 
beds,  and  table,  the  room  contained  healthier  and  more 
able-bodied  effects  in  the  shape  of  the  two  little  boys 
figuring  in  the  report  as  aged  thirteen  and  twelve  re- 
spectively. As  far  as  the  consumptive-looking  lamp- 
light enabled  one  to  be  sure  of  one's  impression,  it 


Ain't  I  peeling  as  hard  as  I  can?" 


A  TALE   OF  LONDON  JEWRY  I3 

appeared  that  these  two  little  boys  were  engaged  in 
preparing  a  meal.  The  angry  crackle  of  seething 
oil  tended  to  give  color,  as  well  as  odor,  to  the  con- 
jecture. 

4  Hurry  up  there,  Leuw,"  said  Phil,  the  younger  of 
the  brothers,  "  mother'll  be  here  presently." 

'  All  right;  ain't  I  peeling  as  hard  as  I  can?  "  came 
the  reply,  somewhat  gruffly.     "  Anybody  would  think 
it  was  my  fault  we  started  so  late." 
"  I  don't,"  asseverated  Phil. 

But  Leuw  would  not  be  deprived  of  the  right  to 
exculpate  himself  in  detail. 

'  Think  I've  been  larking  about  all  the  two  hours 
Fve  been  away?  I'd  like  to  hear  anybody  say  so. 
Hanging  round  the  'tater  shop,  that's  what  I've  been, 
waiting  for  old  Solomon  to  go  indoors.  He  doesn't 
give  us  any  tick,  you  know,  the  old  miser.  Well,  at 
last  he  changes  off  with  his  missis,  and  you  bet  I  took 
my  chance  quick  enough.  She  lets  me  run  up  to  a 
shilling  now — used  to  be  sixpence;  getting  up  in  the 
world,  ain't  we,  Phil?" 

4  Looks  like  it,"  said  Phil  dubiously. 

'  Well,  then,  don't  tell  me  to  hurry  up,  when  it  ain't 
any  fault  of  mine  that  things  are  a  bit  behindhand." 

'  But  I  never  said  .  .  ."  protested  Phil,  blankly. 

'Shut  up!  Who  said  you  did?  Think  I've  been 
'pologizing  to  you  for  being  late?  Don't  you  believe 
it.  Never  seems  to  have  entered  your  head,  though 
I  can't  call  it  a  fat  head — but  there  are  times  when  a 
fellow  has  got  to  make  excuses  to  himself." 

'Oh!'     said    Phil,    beginning    to    catch    his    drift. 

'Now,  if  I  hadn't  got  those  'taters,  and  there  would 

have  been  nothin'  for  mother's  supper,  not  to  mention 


14 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT 


yours,  think  it  would  have  been  any  excuse  for  me 
that  old  Solomon  wouldn't  budge  from  the  shop?  Not 
a  bit  of  it.  Because  something  inside  would  have  told 
me  that  I'm  the — the — what's  the  word?  Oh,  yes, 
the  responsible  party,  being  the  head  of  the  family  by 
right  of  being  the  oldest  man  in  it,  though  I've  got 
to  let  mother  do  the  money  earning  till  I've  left 
school." 

"  And  that  will  be  in  a  fortnight,"  supplemented 
Phil. 

"  In  a  fortnight,"  echoed  Leuw,  with  a  certain  grim 
emphasis. 

"  Are  you  sorry?  '    asked   Phil,  almost  timidly. 

"  Not  exactly  sorry,  but  sort  of — and  you'll  just 
keep  it  to  yourself,  do  you  hear? — sort  of  frightened 
like.  It  seems  to  me  I'll  have  to  do  all  my  thinking 
for  myself,  'stead  of  letting  the  teacher  do  it  for  me. 
It's  enough  to  make  one  feel  a  bit  anxious,  isn't  it, 
Phil?" 

"  Still,  most  people  have  got  to  start  doing  their 
thinking  some  time  or  other.  I've  done  so  myself 
already,"  replied  Phil  re-assuringly. 

"  Gel  away — I  don't  mean  your  kind  of  it,  which  is 
just  dreaming  with  your  eyes  open.  No  dreaming  for 
me,  thank  you.  The  way  I'm  going  to  do  my  think- 
ing is  to  take  hold  of  my  brain  with  both  hands,  and 
worry  it  till  I  find  out  what  the  world's  like,  and  what 
a  fellow  can  get  out  of  it,  and  how  much  he's  got  to 
give  in  exchange,.  That'll  be  a  pretty  hard  day's 
work,  what  do  you  say?" 

Phil  gave  him  a  puzzled  look,  and  was  very  glad  to 
find  from  Leuw's  absent  air  that  he  was  not  really 
expected  to  express  an  opinion;  and  presently  Leuw 
continued: 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  15 

"  No,  I  ain't  sorry,  and  what  concerns  the  funk,  I 
haven't  got  it  so  very  badly  either.  You  know  that 
door-knocker  on  the  last  house  across  the  way?  Well, 
when  the  moon  shines  on  it,  it  looks  like  a  grinning 
bogy,  and  I've  got  to  go  close  up  to  it  to  know  it's 
only  a  stupid  old  knocker.  Strikes  me  in  the  same 
way  the  world  looks  a  bit  dangerous  from  a  distance. 
I'll  be  all  right  once  I'm  close  enough  to  look  it  in 
the  face.     And  then  I'm  going  to  fight  it." 

"  But  you'll  be  very  careful,  Leuw,  won't  you," 
asked  Phil  apprehensively. 

"  I'll  try  not  to  hurt  it,"  replied  Leuw,  jauntily,  "  be- 
cause, mind  you,  I  think  I'm  pretty  tough.  Do  you 
know,  Phil,  I've  been  sort  of  feeling  myself  grow  up 
for  the  last  couple  of  years,  though  I  didn't  show  it 
so  much  outside,  because  there's  half  a  dozen  chaps 
in  the  class  what's  got  longer  legs  than  me.  Many 
a  time  I  seem  to  myself  a  cheat  and  a  humbug,  know- 
ing I  had  no  business  to  go  monkeying  around  the 
playground  with  a  pack  of  kids.  Thank  God,  I'll  be 
able  to  feel  more  honest  in  a  fortnight." 

He  paused  and  relapsed  into  a  reverie,  during  which 
Phil  bestowed  his  undivided  attention  on  the  potato 
chips  in  the  saucepan,  till  Leuw  finally  voiced  the  con- 
clusion which  he  had  been  driving  at  with  the  words: 
"  No,  it  isn't  at  all  nice." 

'What  isn't?"  asked  Phil,  a  little  scared,  thinking 
that  the  remark  might  apply  to  his  cooking. 

'  Living  on  tick  isn't,.  It  doesn't  do  you  any  good; 
one-half  of  you  feels  choked  and  the  other  half 
starved,  and  you  never  know  which  way  it's  going  to 
be  the  death  of  you.  That's  why  I  grew  up  in  such  a 
hurry,  because  I  must  start  paying  cash  before  it's  got 
time  to  kill  one  of  us." 


16  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

"  I  don't  like  tick  either,"  rejoined  Phil  thought- 
fully, kk  but  I  wouldn't  mind  being  a  boy  all  my  life." 

"  Oh,  indeed,  what  for?  " 

"  So  that  I  needn't  leave  school." 

kk  Yes,  I've  got  that  down  on  the  list — with  the  other 
things." 

"  Hope  the  total  won't  come  too  big,"  said  Phil 
anxiously. 

"  The  bigger  the  better:  I'll  roll  up  my  shirt 
sleeves  a  bit  higher,  that's  all." 

"  Perhaps  I  could  help  you." 
Yes,  by  keeping  out  of  the  way.     I'd  have  to  waste 
half  my  time  in  seeing  that  nothing  happens  to  you. 
You   tackle    the    books,   and    I'll   tackle    the    people. 
Books  take  some  fighting,  too." 

"  I  know,  but  I'll  roll  up  my  shirt  sleeves  as  well." 

44  Right  you  are,  young  'un;  you'll  do.  Hurray, 
only  one  more!  "  said  Leuw  as  his  knife  uncoated  the 
last  of  the  potatoes,.  Just  as  he  finished  cutting  it 
small,  something  seemed  to  happen,  for  he  got  up 
rather  quickly,  and  looked  searchingly  about  the  room. 

"What  do  you  want?"  asked  Phil,  following  his 
gaze. 

"  Bit  of  rag — notched  my  finger,  by  way  of  a  wind- 
up.     Ah,  here  it  is." 

"  Bleeding  much — is  it?" 

'  Buckets;  the  room  will  swim  in  a  minute,"  joked 
Leuw. 

'  Hadn't  you  better  hold  it  under  the  pump  down- 
stairs? "  asked  Phil,  his  anxiety  only  partially  allayed. 

"  Good  idea,  that.     Then  I  shan't  want  the  rag,  and 
mother  needn't  know,"  replied  Leuw,  hurrying  off. 
'  Hold,  a  minute,  I'm  coming  with  you." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  17 

"  What?  afraid  to  stop  in  the  room  alone?  ' 

"  Not  that/'  faltered  Phil,  "  but  yon  see  I'll  be  by 
myself  with  the  chips,  and  yon  might  think  per- 
haps  " 

"  Oh,  might  I?"  said  Lenw,  breaking  in  on  his  em- 
barrassment. "  I  'spose  that's  a  nice  polite  way  of  call- 
ing yourself  brother  to  a  blackguard  and  a  greedy- 
guts.  Take  you  long  to  think  of  it?  Now,  in  the  time 
you've  kept  me  here  jawing,  you've  wasted  at  least 
three  drops  of  my  precious — I've  got  a  good  mind  to 
make  you  pay  for  them  in  chips." 

Five  minutes  afterwards  he  was  about  to  re-enter 
the  doorway,  but  paused  and  waited  for  the  slow-step- 
ping woman  of  whom  he  had  just  caught  sight  at  the 
mouth  of  the  alley. 

"  Here,  mother,  I'll  give  you  a  lift,"  he  said,  taking 
her  by  the  arm. 

"  Thank  you,  dear.  Have  you  been  to  Solo- 
mon's? "  asked  Mrs.  Lipcott. 

"  I  have;  it's  all  right." 

"  I'm  glad,  because  Mrs.  Daniels  had  no  change 
and  .  .  ." 

k  I  knew  it,"  said  Lenw,  bitterly,  "  she  never  has. 
'  Pay  you  to-morrow,'  she  said,  didn't  she?  I  wonder 
how  many  more  houses  her  husband's  been  buying 
this  week." 

'Don't  be  unkind,  Lenw;  it  was  only  a  little 
thoughtless  of  her." 

That's  right,  whitewash  her.     Jingo,  I'd  make  her 
think  if  .  .  ." 

But  what  particular  reflections  Leuw  wished  to  in- 
stil into  the  said  Mrs.  Daniels,  and  under  what  con- 
ditions  he  could  have  done  so,   remained  unuttered, 
2 


18  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

because  at  this  moment  Phil  opened  the  door  to  light 
them  up  the  few  remaining  stairs.  Eagerly  he  pulled 
his  mother  into  the  room,  which  presently  resounded 
with  vigorous  kissing. 

kk  Here,  stop  that,"  came  a  peremptory  command 
from  Leuw. 

"  Don't  you  care,  mother;  he's  only  jealous," 
laughed  Phil  disrespectfully. 

"  Perhaps — perhaps  not;  but  what  I  am  certain 
about  is  that  you  are  keeping  mother  standing  quite 
a  minute  longer  than  she  need;  and  in  the  second 
place,  it's  time  you  started  learning  to  keep  your  feel- 
ings a  bit  dark,  and  not  give  yourself  away  before 
everybody.  It  isn't  safe  with  such  a  lot  of  bad  people 
waiting  round  to  take  a  rise  out  of  you." 

Phil  looked  to  see  how  his  mother  was  taking 
Leuw's  homily  on  the  necessity  of  cultivating  emo- 
tional discipline.  He  himself  felt  quite  incapable  of 
answering  him.  For  the  voices  that  talked  to  him 
in  his  day-dreams  he  always  had  a  pat  and  accurate 
reply;  but  before  the  voice  of  the  world,  which  now 
spoke  to  him  in  the  words  of  his  brother  Leuw,  he 
cowered  tongue-tied  and  helpless.  How  good  it  must 
feel  to  be  strong  and  of  ready  speech  like  his  brother 
Leuw!  He  must  watch  and  learn  the  secret  of  it  from 
him. 

Mrs.  Lipcott,  too,  had  been  thinking  how  to  an- 
swer her  son.  Not  infrequently  was  she  thus  at  a  loss. 
But  that  never  troubled  her.  However  much  this 
boy  of  hers  seemed  a  stranger  to  her  at  times,  how- 
ever much  in  him  she  had  to  guess  at,  her  heart  told 
her  that,  from  the  little  that  was  revealed,  she  could 
safely  take  the  rest  on  trust.  And  so  she  contented  her- 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  19 

self  with  saying:  "  Come,  children,  supper's  getting 
cold." 

Through  the  business-like  silence  which  followed 
ran  three  trains  of  thought,  all  on  more  or  less  diver- 
ging lines. 

Mrs.  Lipcott  wondered  how  her  life  would  have 
shaped  but  for  the  cold  which  grew  angry  at  being 
neglected,  and  worked  itself  up  into  the  rapid  lung 
trouble  that  carried  her  husband  off.  Perhaps  she 
might  have  owned  by  now  as  much  jewelry  as  Mrs. 
Daniels;  the  little  boot-factory  had  just  begun  to  make 
headway.  As  it  was,  her  concern  was  not  with  pre- 
cious stones,  but  with  soap  and  stove  polish,  and  if 
these  were  of  superior  quality,  and  saved  her  a  pro- 
portionate amount  of  bodily  wear  and  tear,  she  con- 
sidered it  enough  good  fortune  for  one  day.  She  had 
not  remained  very  long  in  the  stupor  wherewith  she 
had  been  smitten  by  the  downfall  of  her  prop  and  stay. 
The  cries  of  two  healthy  young  appetites  for  bread  had 
acted  as  an  efficient  restorative.  But  the  energy  to 
which  they  had  roused  her  she  felt  at  best  to  be  only 
artificial,  and  gave  no  guarantee  of  reserve  force.  Of 
late  she  had  more  than  once  cast  involuntary  question- 
ing looks  at  her  future  as  personified  in  her  two  sons 
— especially  the  elder;  and  each  time  she  had  felt  re- 
assured, nay,  elated  and  triumphant.  For  the  things 
that  make  us  happiest  are  the  anxieties  which  carry 
their  own  comfortings  for  cargo. 

Leuw,  for  his  part,  ate  his  supper  with  teeth  that 
mutinied.  The  truculent  mood  of  before  had  come 
back  to  him.  As  it  was,  it  served  as  the  keynote  of 
his  heart — this  protest  against  the  bleak  sordidness, 
the  cheese-rind  paring,  the  rag-and-patch  routine  he 


20  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT 

had  to  call  life.  He  knew  it  required  a  certain  amount 
of  courage  to  protest,  and  he  was  proportionately 
proud  of  it.  All  the  other  people  in  Narrow  Alley 
were  afraid  to  put  their  burdens  on  the  broad  back  of 
the  future.  They  groaned  along  beneath  them  in  ap- 
parent content.  True,  they  did  their  fair  share  of 
grumbling,  but  it  was  only  in  a  sort  of  hole-and-corner 
way;  that  is,  they  complained  about  the  slackness  of 
trade,  about  the  low  rate  of  wages,  and  the  high  price 
of  bread  and  coal.  But  they  never  went  to  head- 
quarters. They  never,  so  to  speak,  put  their  griev- 
ances down  black  on  white,  and  dropped  them  into 
Fate's  letter-box,  where  they  would  have  a  fair  chance 
of  receiving  consideration,.  On  the  contrary,  they 
seemed  afraid  of  drawing  the  attention  of  Providence 
to  their  existence,  for  fear  of  reminding  it  that  their 
power  of  endurance  had  not  yet  been  strained  to  its 
uttermost.  That  was  what  the  pious  called  a  godly 
resignation.  Leuw  believed  in  the  godliness  but  not 
in  the  resignation.  He  had  been  created,  and  therefore 
had  a  right  to  live;  or  at  least,  he  should  not  have  been 
born  with  the  knowledge  that  there  were  better  things 
on  earth,  if  it  was  never  intended  that  he  should  enjoy 
them.  No  knock-kneed  compromise  for  him.  He 
had  begun  early  to  shake  his  fist  at  Fate.  It  was  just 
as  well  that  they  both  should  know  exactly  how  ac- 
counts stood  between  them;  and  that  was — everything 
or  nothing. 

And  little  Phil,  meantime,  vaguely  foreboding  the 
disadvantage  at  which  the  dreamer  of  dreams  is  placed 
in  the  midst  of  a  wide-awake  world,  was  busily  re- 
hearsing to  himself  the  first  maxim  of  self-defense, 
which,  according  to  brother  Leuw,  consisted  in  not 
giving  way  to  your  feelings  before  people. 


CHAPTER  III 

In  those  days  the  London  headquarters  of  Jewish 
charity,  the  so-called  Board  of  Guardians,  did  not  yet 
consist  of  the  palatial  premises  in  which  its  many- 
sided  and  far-reaching  operations  are  being  carried  on 
now.  A  commodious,  unofficial-looking  house,  in  a 
square  at  the  northwest  point  of  the  Jewish  area, 
served  for  that  purpose,  till  the  growth  of  its  scope 
threatened  to  make  havoc  of,  and  cast  confusion  into, 
its  organization  for  want  of  more  elbow  room. 

It  does  not  take  the  Jew  long  to  acclimatize  himself, 
morally  and  physically,  in  the  country  of  his  adoption. 
If  anything,  he  has  a  tendency,  which  would  be  amus- 
ing if  it  were  not  pathetic,  to  out-royal  the  king,  that 
is,  to  accentuate  his  acquired  characteristics  more  than 
is  quite  necessary.  He  is,  perhaps,  over-anxious  to 
impress  his  fellow-citizen  with  the  compliment  he  is 
paying  him — the  highest  one  man  can  pay  another — 
in  tarring  himself  with  the  same  brush.  But  of  his 
sincerity  there  can  be  no  doubt;  he  does  not  stop  at 
the  external  and  superficial,  In  the"  countries  where 
he  is  allowed  to  come  in  by  the  front  door,  and  can 
fearlessly  show  himself  at  the  windows,  there  is  no 
heart  more  truly  in  accord  than  his  with  all  the  phases 
of  the  national  destiny.  He  rejoices  in  his  country's 
joys,  he  sorrows  in  her  calamities,  as  though  they  were 
part  and  parcel  of  his  individual  self.  For  her  sake 
he  plucks  from  his  heart  his  prejudices — a  hard 
wrench  where  the  roots  go  down  century-deep.     He 


22  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

sacrifices  for  her  both  retrospect  and  prospect,  his 
pride  in  a  great  past  and  his  God-guaranteed  hope  of  a 
specific  redemption.  But  two  things  he  keeps  for  his 
inalienable  possession:  the  right  to  pray  his  prayers 
and  the  privilege  of  helping  his  poor. 

The  first  of  these  reservations  needs  no  explaining; 
the  second  is  not  so  self-obvious.  There  is  a  narrow 
view  which  ascribes  it  to  the  desire  of  the  community 
to  avoid  incurring  unnecessary  prejudices  by  throw- 
ing its  destitute  on  the  already  heavily  burdened  shoul- 
ders of  the  British  taxpayer.  This  is  a  gratuitous 
aspersion  on  the  resources  and  generosity  of  a  great 
people  which  is  ever  ready  to  accept  the  responsi- 
bilities which  are,  as  it  were,  the  penalty  of  its  large- 
heartedness.  The  cynic  and  worldly-wise  regard  it 
as  an  ingenious  device  of  purse-proud  selfishness  to 
pile  up  the  largest  possible  total  on  the  credit  side  in 
the  ledgers  of  eternity.  But  sneer  and  pusillanimity 
are  wrong,  as  usual.  This  clannish  philanthropy  is 
essentially  a  matter  of  sentiment,  and  sentiment  is  a 
property  which  must  not  be  grudged,  to  a  race  which 
has  had  its  heart-strings  so  often  played  upon.  Perhaps 
the  forebear  of  this  poor  alien  wretch  spoke  a  word 
of  comfort  to  your  ancestor  by  the  waters  of  Babylon; 
perhaps  the  one  heartened  the  other  for  the  roaring 
death  in  the  arenas  of  Rome;  or  perhaps  he  writhed 
and  died  on  the  inquisitorial  rack  because  he  would 
not  incriminate  the  Marrano  from  whom  you  trace 
your  descent.  All  these  things  are  more  than  possi- 
bilities, and  one  never  finds  it  easier  to  pay  a  debt 
than  when  the  heart  is  the  only  I.  O.  U,  No  set  policy 
of  temporal  or  spiritual  import  could  avail  as  much  as 
these  vague  promptings   to   settle   accounts   with   an 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  23 

obligation  which,  even  if  it  ever  had  any  warrant,  dis- 
tances of  time  and  space  ought  to  have  rendered 
legendary.  And  though  the  watchword  which  speeds 
from  mouth  to  mouth  during  the  Passover  ceremonial 
— "  He  who  is  hungry,  let  him  come  and  eat " — must 
of  necessity  remain  a  formula  of  the  lip,  the  sentiment 
of  the  Jew  makes  him  practical  enough  to  attempt 
the  spirit  where  the  effecting  of  the  letter  would  be 
absurd. 

Perhaps  some  thoughts  like  these  were  agitating 
the  mind  of  the  lady  who,  with  her  ten-year-old 
daughter,  was  entering  the  offices  of  the  Board  that 
Sunday  afternoon;  at  any  rate,  she  looked  serious 
enough  for  it.  Once  inside,  she  stopped  with  an 
irresolution  which  showed  her  to  be  a  stranger  there. 
A  deferential  clerk  stepped  up  and  asked  her  business. 

"  I — I  would  like  to  see  some  one  in  authority,"  she 
said. 

The  clerk  looked  doubtful.  "  May  I  know  your 
name,  please?"  he  asked. 

The  lady  opened  her  satchel  and  produced  a  card. 
The  sight  of  the  card-case,  as  well  as  of  the  crocodile 
leather  purse,  served  to  set  the  clerk's  doubts  at  rest, 
and  with  a  hurried:  "Take  a  seat,  please,"  he  disap- 
peared into  one  of  the  inner  chambers.  A  minute  or 
two  afterwards  he  re-appeared  with  a  benevolent-look- 
ing old  gentleman. 

"  Good  afternoon,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  smiling. 
"  Your  name  is  not  entirely  unknown  to  me,  Mrs. 
Duveen.     What  can   I  do  for  you?" 

"  I  should  like  to  make  myself  useful  in  some 
way.  ..." 

"Ah,    as    honorary    visitor?"    interrupted    the    old 


24 


SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT 


gentleman.  4  I  am  delighted;  we  have  plenty  of  room 
for  additional  workers/' 

"When  can  I  start?''  asked  Mrs.  Duveen. 

"  There  is  a  slight  formality  of  nomination  and  elec- 
tion to  be  gone  through ;  but  there  will  be  no  difficulty 
in  that,"  replied  the  old  gentleman.  "  Meantime  you 
might  perhaps  accompany  one  of  our  paid  investi- 
gators on  his  rounds  to  get  some  insight  into  the  na- 
ture of  your  duties.  Perhaps  you  would  like  to  take 
advantage  of  your  being  on  the  spot  and — that  is,  if 
your  time  permits." 

"  Oh,  I  have  plenty  of  time,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen,  and 
there  was  a  suspicion  of  a  sigh  in  her  words. 

"  Is  any  one  of  the  men  in?  "  asked  the  old  gentle- 
man of  the  clerk. 

It  appeared  there  was;  and  presently  Mrs.  Duveen 
had  been  placed  in  charge  of  an  escort  to  whom  the 
old  gentleman  explained  the  circumstances  of  her  call. 

"  I  should  have  taken  the  pleasure  of  accompanying 
you  myself,  but  I  am  the  Chairman  of  to-day's  rota, 
and  there  is  a  great  deal  of  work  waiting  for  me.  By 
the  way,  is  there  any  one  particular  kind  of  case  you 
are  more  interested  in  than  another?" 

"  Yes,  in  widows." 

The  old  gentleman  nodded  intelligently  with  a  sym- 
pathetic look  at  her  weeds  and  crape. 

"  There  is  a  widow's  case  first  on  my  list,"  said  the 
paid  investigator;  "a  Mrs.  Lipcott,  of  Narrow  Alley, 
not  very  far  from  here." 

Then  the  benevolent  old  gentleman  shook  hands 
with  Mrs.  Duveen,  dutifully  pinched  the  little  girl's 
cheek,  at  which  the  latter  showed  considerable  indig- 
nation, and  a  moment  afterward  the  party  of  three  had 


A  TALE   OF   LONDON  JEWRY  25 

sallied  out  upon  their  expedition,  while  the  radiant 
August  sun  overhead  shone  his  hardest  to  give  the  lie 
to  any  suggestion  of  care  and  poverty  in  a  world  he 
had  tried  for.  thousands  and  thousands  of  years  to 
make  an  imitation  heaven. 

k  I'm  taking  you  the  best  way  I  can,"  said  the  paid 
investigator  apologetically  to  Mrs.  Duveen,  who 
smiled  her  gratitude. 

Sunday,  as  everyone  knows,  is  market  day  down  in 
Spitalfields ;  and  though  business  is  practically  over 
by  midday,  the  locality  was  littered  with  an  after- 
math of  putrid  oranges,  sodden  poultry-plumage,  and 
other  nondescript  uglinesses.  Once  the  little  girl  seized 
her  mother  by  the  hand,  and  pointing  to  the  gutter, 
cried  eagerly:  "  Look,  mamma,  there's  a  pussy  asleep," 
and  the  paid  investigator  was  not  so  cruel  as  to  dis- 
illusion her. 

Yes,  everything  down  here  is  bad,"  he  said 
wearily,  '  bad  for  the  sight,  bad  for  the  smell,  bad 
for  the  heart." 

Mrs.  Duveen  nodded  a  sorrowful  assent.  "  I  did 
not  know  how  bad,"  she  murmured. 

'  And  perhaps  there's  worse  in  store,"  said  the  paid 
investigator,   thinking  of  their  errand. 

Mrs.  Duveen  refrained  from  shivering  out  of  def- 
erence to  the  sunshine ;  but  she  could  not  avert  a  sink- 
ing of  her  heart  as  they  paused  for  a  moment  at  the 
entrance  to  Narrow  Alley.  So  far  she  had  known  of 
misery  only  by  hearsay ;  now  she  was  about  to  view  it, 
eye  to  eye,  touch  it  with  her  hand.  She  felt  as  a  young 
medical  may  feel  at  his  first  autopsy. 

"I  hope  that  there  will  be  room  upstairs  for  the  three 
of  us,"  said  the  paid  investigator,  half  to  himself,  as 


26  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

they  entered  the  narrow-necked  passage.  The  ground- 
floor  tenants  opened  their  door,  and  watched  them 
with  inquisitive  eyes;  two  half-grown  girls  surrepti- 
tiously sniffed  the  lavender  emanating  from  Mrs. 
Duveen's  unstoppered  scent  bottle — they  did  not  get 
a  treat  like  that  every  day. 

The  paid  investigator,  having  enquired  for  Mrs. 
Lipcott's  room,  and  having  been  assured  of  her  pres- 
ence at  home,  mounted  the  staircase,  followed  by  Mrs. 
Duveen  and  the  little  girl.  His  knock,  as  he  fully 
expected,  was  not  answered  immediately;  he  knew 
that  poverty  breeds  suspicion.  Then  the  door  was 
opened  by  Leuw,  who  stared  in  large-eyed  wonder  at 
the  callers.  But  the  paid  investigator  unceremoni- 
ously brushed  him  aside,  inviting  his  two  companions 
to  enter  with  him.  Mrs.  Lipcott  hastily  laid  some- 
thing aside  and  got  up. 

The  paid  investigator's  first  glance  lighted  on  Phil, 
whose  head  peeped  forth  from  under  the  blankets. 

"  Is  the  boy  ill?  asked  the  paid  investigator,  pro- 
ducing pencil  and  note-book. 

Mrs.  Lipcott  was  still  dumbfounded  by  the  appari- 
tion of  the  strangers,  and  Leuw's  tight-set  lips  showed 
the  umbrage  he  had  taken  at  the  paid  investigator's 
brusque  handling  of  him;  so  it  devolved  upon  Phil 
himself  to  answer  the  query. 

"  Please,  sir,  I  ain't  ill,  but — mother's  mending  my 
trousers." 

The  paid  investigator  seemed  to  find  neither  pathos 
nor'  humor  in  the  reply,  for  turning  again  to  Mrs, 
Lipcott,  he  continued  in  business-like  tone: 

"How  much  do  you  earn  a  week?" 

Mrs.  Lipcott  reflected  a  moment,  and  began  her  an- 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  27 

swer;  but  she  had  only  got  as  far  as:  "  Well,  it's  all 
according,  sir,"  when  Leuw  stepped  forward,  gently 
pushed  his  mother  on  one  side  and,  lifting  his  scowl- 
ing face  to  the  paid  investigator's,  said: 

44  Look  here,  we've  had  enough  of  your  cheek;  who 
are  you?  " 

It  stands  to  reason  that  the  paid  investigator  was 
taken  aback;  when  he  recovered  himself,  he  gave  a 
little  laugh  and  replied  good-humoredly: 

"  You're  a  bit  forward  for  your  age,  little  man;  but 
your  mother  knows  all  about  it." 

"About  what?"  asked  Mrs.  Lipcott  in  amazement. 

The  paid  investigator  became  impatient.  "  I  really 
can't  waste  my  time  with  you;  I've  got  five  other  cases 
to  do  yet.  Tell  me  distinctly  what  you  want  the 
Board  to  do  for  you." 

'  Do  you  come  from  the  Board? "  faltered  Mrs. 
Lipcott. 

Yes,  of  course.  Here's  your  application.  You 
are  Mrs.  Lipcott,  aren't  you?" 

Yes,  but  .  .  ,."  Mrs.  Lipcott  looked  round  her 
helplessly;  then  she  glanced  at  Leuw,  and  her  eye  lit 
up  with  intelligence. 

'  Why  didn't  you  tell  me  you  did  it?  "  she  said  re- 
proachfully. 'If  I  thought  you  wanted- me  to  ask 
the  Board  to  help  us  .  .  ." 

'  I  write  to  the  Board  to  help  us!  "  cried  Leuw  half 
inarticulate  with  conflicting  emotions.  "  What  do  you 
take  me  for,  mother?" 

Then  a  sudden  thought  struck  him: 

"  Did  you  do  it,  Phil?  " 

'  I  didn't,  I  swear  I  didn't,"  whimpered  Phil,  very 
much  frightened. 


28  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

"  You  see  there's  some  mistake  somewhere,"  said 
Leuw  addressing  himself  to  the  gape-mouthed  paid  in- 
vestigator. "We  don't  want  any  Board  here;  we're 
not  beggars.  Now,  perhaps,  you'll  say  'Good  after- 
noon'  when  you  go;  you  didn't  when  you  came  in, 
you  know." 

Mrs.  Duveen  had  been  a  silent  and  disconcerted 
witness  of  the  strange  proceedings.  Her  sight  had, 
however,  been  busier  than  her  hearing.  From  the 
moment  of  her  entry,  her  eyes  had  been  taking  stock 
of  Phil's  wistful  little  face.  At  the  first  glance  it  had 
appealed  to  her  with  a  vague  sense  of  familiarity,  of 
something  remembered — a  remembrance  instinct  with 
infinite  heart-ache,  and  yet  gladdening  in  having  taken 
to  itself  a  strangely  palpable  shape.  It  made  her 
thoughts  start  off  at  a  gallop.  Little  Dulcie  was  nest- 
ling against  her  mother,  scared  and  trembling,  What 
a  terrible  boy  that  was — what  a  temper  he  had!  And 
yet  she  could  almost  hate  herself  for  feeling  afraid  of 
him;  she  did  not  quite  know  what  all  the  quarrel  was 
about;  and  yet  she  was  almost  certain  that  the  boy 
was  in  the  right.  If  only  someone  would  go  and  pat 
him  on  the  head,  he  would  quiet  down  at  once;  and 
— well,  she  would  not  mind  doing  it  herself. 

The  paid  investigator  had,  meantime,  thought  the 
matter  over,  and  took  it  in  its  right  light.  He 
shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  I  suppose,  then,  there  is  a  mistake,  and  I've  got 
nothing  else  to  say.    We  had  better  go,  Mrs.  Duveen." 

Mrs.  Duveen  pulled  herself  together,  and  stepped 
up  to  Mrs.  Lipcott. 

'  I  am  very  sorry  if  you  have  had  any  annoyance," 
she  said  very  gently,  "  and  I  only  want  you  to  remem- 
ber that  I  am  quite  innocent  in  the  matter." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  29 

"  Oh,  there's  no  harm  done,  lady — no  harm,  thank 
you  very  much,"  said  Airs.  Lipcott,  still  in  great  con- 
fusion. 

'  Good-by,"  said  Dulcie,  suddenly,  coming  close  to 
Leuw,  and  tendering  him  her  hand. 

Leuw  drew  back  for  an  instant  as  though  the  timid 
little  hand  were  a  great  threatening  fist.  How — why 
was  it  that  he  had  not  become  cognizant  of  her  pres- 
ence before?  Why?  Because  he  had  been  so  busy 
playing  the  rough  and  the  bully.  It  struck  him  sud- 
denly that  he  could  have  effected  his  purpose  as 
thoroughly  without  taking  up  such  a  bull-dog  atti- 
tude; and  he  felt  very  much  ashamed  of  himself.  It 
was  these  great  frank  eyes  before  him  that  shamed 
him;  if  he  could  only  pluck  up  heart  to  look  full  into 
them  for  but  an  instant — ah!  there,  he  had  done  it, 
and  simultaneously  his  hand  responded  to  hers.  Now 
he  knew,  by  practical  experience,  how  good  it  felt 
to  have  one's  sins  forgiven.  He  did  not  mind  the 
tall  lady  in  black  bestowing  such  a  fixed  look  on  Phil 
at  parting;  he  was  not  jealous;  he  had  something  bet- 
ter. For  the  dingy  door-panel  seemed  illuminated  by 
a  smile  long  after  the  face  to  which  it  properly  be- 
longed had  vanished. 

The  party  of  three  reached  the  bottom  without  ex- 
changing a  word. 

*  I  am  afraid  you  have  not  made  an  agreeable  start," 
said  the  paid  investigator  finally. 

'  I  don't  mind,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen  absently;  "  but  I 
can't  help  feeling  terribly  puzzled.     Is  it  a  hoax?" 

'  It  is,  and  it  isn't.  The  people  want  assistance 
badly  enough,  as  you  saw.  They  are  simply  too  proud 
to  take  it.     Probably  some  kind-hearted  busybody  of 


3° 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 


their  acquaintance  sent  in  the  application  without  their 
knowledge,  thinking  they  would  hardly  have  the 
courage  to  refuse  the  help  which  is  being  thrust  upon 
them.     I  must  say  such  obstinacy  .  .  ." 

"  Obstinacy?'    interrupted  Mrs.  Duveen. 

"  Well,  call  it  strength  of  character,"  proceeded  the 
paid  investigator,  somewhat  shamefacedly;  'still, 
whatever  it  is,  it  is  not  an  everyday  occurrence.  Ah, 
so  you  won't  come  any  further  to-day?" 

"  No,  thank  you,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen,  who  had 
stopped.  '  Don't  think  I'm  disheartened,  but  I  must 
not  tire  my  little  girl  too  much.  She  insisted  on  com- 
ing with  me  and — well,  I  believe  in  the  value  of  teach- 
ing children  by  object  lessons." 

An  hour  after  Mrs.  Duveen  was  back  in  her  beau- 
tiful house  up  St.  John's  Wood.  All  through  the  train 
journey  she  had  given  such  niggardly  response  to 
Dulcie's  incessant  questionings  as  to  the  moral  and 
meaning  of  the  afternoon  that  Dulcie  was  quite  sur- 
prised when  her  mother  put  her  a  question  in  turn: 

"  Which  of  the  two  boys  did  you  like  best?" 

"  The  one  that  shouted,"  replied  Dulcie,  without 
hesitation;  "he  looked  so — so  honest  about  the  eyes. 
I  noticed  them  particularly." 

It  was  a  curious  question,  thought  Dulcie,  but  a 
more  curious  one  followed:  "  Do  you  remember 
a  boy  that  used  to  run  about  the  house  years  ago?  ' 

Dulcie  puckered  her  brows  in  a  desperate  attempt 
at  recollection,  but  at  last  she  had  to  own  up  her 
failure. 

'  If  you  remembered  him  at  all,  you  would  have 
liked  the  other  one  better — the  one  in  bed,  you 
know,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen,  with  a  tremble  in  her  voice; 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  3I 

"  and — and,  Dulcie,  as  I  looked  at  him  and  compared 
him  with  the  boy  that  used  to  run  about  the  house, 
I  couldn't  tell  the  difference." 

Dulcie  gazed  at  her  awestruck.     "  Mamma,  did  I 
ever  have  a  brother?  " 

Mrs,.  Duveen  nodded;  she  could  not  trust  her  voice 
at  all  now. 

"  And  what  has  that  to  do  with  the  other  boy?  ' 
continued  Dulcie  timidly. 

"  I  don't  know,  dear,  but  I'm  thinking."  And 
Mrs.  Duveen  thought  about  the  boy  who  so  much 
resembled  her  dead  son  all  that  evening  and  half  the 
next  day;  by  that  time  she  seemed  to  have  arrived  at 
some  conclusion.  For  she  locked  the  door  of  her 
room,  and  with  trembling  fingers  she  wrote  a  letter 
to  Mrs.  Lipcott. 


CHAPTER  IV 

The  letter  reached  its  destination  by  the  last  delivery 
that  same  evening.  It  was  something  like  three  years 
since  Mrs.  Lipcott  had  been  the  recipient  of  a  com- 
munication by  post,  and  the  event  naturally  made  a 
striking  impression  upon  her;  equally  naturally  she 
kept  turning  the  letter  over  and  over  in  her  hands, 
considering  who  her  correspondent  might  be. 

"  I  know,"  said  Phil  suddenly,  "  it's  from  the 
'  black '  lady  that  was  here  yesterday." 

4  And  she's  sent  us  some  money,"  supplemented 
Leuw,  already  framing  in  his  mind  a  suitable  reply 
which  was  to  accompany  the  return  of  the  gift. 

After  this  plausible  conjecture,  there  was  no  longer 
any  reason  to  delay  arriving  at  certainty.  Mrs,  Lip- 
cott looked  at  the  neat,  clear-cut  handwriting,  and  felt 
equal  to  tackling  it  herself  instead  of  handing  it  to 
Leuw. 

'  Dear  Mrs.  Lipcott,"  she  began  aloud,  "  the  writer 
of  this  is  the  lady  who  called  on  you  yesterday  in  com- 
pany with  the  Board  of  Guardians  official." 

1  See!  I  told  you,"  cried  Phil,  triumphantly. 

Leuw  looked  at  him  sharply,  suspicious  and  an- 
noyed at  Phil's  part  of  the  conjecture  having  come 
true,  whereas  his  own,  referring  to  the  enclosure  of  a 
dole,  had  gone  wide  of  the  fulfilment. 

During  the  interruption  Mrs.  Lipcott  had  glanced 
at  the  succeeding  lines;  what  she  read  made  her  turn 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  33 

white,  and  the  paper  fluttered  out  of  her  hands.  Si- 
lently Leuw  picked  it  up,  and  held  it  out  to  her. 

"  No,  read  it  yourself,"  she  murmured;  "  read — it — 
to  Phil." 

'  Board  of  Guardians  official,"  resumed  Leuw 
slowTly,  his  voice  threatening  vengeance  against  the 
writer  who  had  ''  given  his  mother  such  a  turn." 
1  My  reason  for  writing  to  you  is  to  put  to  you  a  pro- 
posal. Perhaps  the  only  result  will  be  to  make  you 
think  me  a  foolish,  self-loving  woman;  for — you  see  I 
am  frank  with  you — my  motive  is  rather  one  of  sel- 
fishness than  of  kindness  of  heart.  I  want  you  to 
let  me  adopt  your  younger  boy.  He  will  replace  for 
me  a  darling  son  whom  I  lost  years  ago,  and  of  whom 
he  is  the  living  counterpart.  I  cannot  guess  whence 
I  am  taking  the  courage  to  address  to  you  such  a  re- 
quest; but  I  feel  as  though  God  himself  had  put  it 
into  my  heart,  and  therefore  I  do  not  make  myself 
any  reproaches.  I  don't  know  what  you  are  to  gain 
in  the  matter.  The  only  return  I  can  offer  you  is  the 
knowledge  that  your  child  by  blood  and  mine  by 
adoption  will  have  his  path  in  life  made  smooth  for 
him.  I  am  rich;  I  can  offer  him  advantages  which 
— pardon  me — are  apparently  out  of  your  reach.  If 
he  has  any  bent  for  studying,  I  can  indulge  it  to  the 
utmost  of  his  wishes.  The  only  sacrifice  I  shall  ask 
of  him  is  to  take  my  name  and  to  return  me  a  hun- 
dredth part  of  the  love  which  I  am  ready  to  bestow 
upon  him.  I  do  not  want  you  to  decide  immediately. 
Ask  God;  and  when  He  has  answered  you,  let  me 
know  too.     Yours  in  sisterhood,  Rose  Duveen." 

More  than  once  Leuw  had  tried  hard  to  stop  him- 
self  in    the    reading,   but  in   vain;   the    fervid    words 

3 


34 


SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 


dragged  him  on  till  he  had  come  to  the  end.  When  he 
finally  paused,  the  silence  hummed  aloud  with  persist- 
ent echoes. 

"  What  are  we  all  afraid  of?  Why  don't  we  talk?  " 
asked  Leuw  at  last. 

"  Because  I  am  waiting  for  God  to  talk;  till  then  I 
can  say  nothing;1  replied  Mrs.  Lipcott  with  quivering 
mouth  and  far-off  eyes. 

"  Well,  then,  suppose  meantime  Phil  puts  in  his 
spoke,"  suggested  Leuw  grimly, 

"  Oh,  Leuw,  don't  ask  me  to  say  anything,"  came 
piteously  from  Phil.  "What  does  it  all  mean?  I 
don't  want  to  guess — because  I  might  guess  right." 

"What  it  means?"  replied  Leuw  with  an  assump- 
tion of  airiness.  "  Nothing  very  much.  The  lady 
wants  you  to  live  at  her  house,  as  soon  as  you  like. 
Lucky  you  won't  have  to  take  long  over  your  pack- 
ing. By  the  way,  there  are  those  three  collars  we've 
got  between  us — who  is  to  have  the  odd  one? ' 

For  answer  Phil  burst  into  tears.  "  Don't — don't 
speak  to  me  so  cruel,  Leuw,  dear,"  he  sobbed.  '  It 
isn't  my  fault;  I  didn't  ask  her  to  come, — and — and  if 
she  wants  to  take  me  away  from  here,  I'll  run  and  tell 
the  police." 

Leuw's  arm  was  round  his  neck  in  a  moment. 
"  No,  young  'un,  'tain't  your  fault.  I  only  wanted  to 
-know  what  you  thought  of  it." 

"  Then,  why  did  you  go  round  the  corner  like  to  do 
it?  "  sobbed  Phil,  still  disconsolate. 

"It's  all  right,  mother;  don't  worry,"  cried  Leuw 
cheerily;  "  me  and  Phil  have  settled  it." 

Mrs.  Lipcott  was  slowly  recovering  herself.  Her 
mind  had  sunk  prostrate  beneath  the  weight  of  the 


A  TALE   OF  LONDON  JEWRY  35 

dilemma  wherewith  it  had  so  suddenly  become  bur- 
dened; at  last  it  stood  upright  again..  Her  first  im- 
pulse was  that  of  unreasoning  anger  against  the 
woman  who,  seemingly  without  a  qualm,  claimed  of 
her  half  her  mother-heart,  and  compelled  her  to  pon- 
der, for  the  first  time  in  her  life,  whether  or  not  it  was 
not  the  more  precious  half.  What  a  wondrous  thing 
wealth  must  be  that  it  even  made  people  bold  to  beg! 
But  no;  she  would  teach  it  a  lesson,  she  would  shame 
it  into  self-continence,  she  would  .  .  .  and  then? 
What  good  would  come  to  her  by  indulging  her  mal- 
ice? It  would  not  kill  in  her  the  knowledge  that  she, 
even  she,  loved  herself  better  than  her  child— that  in 
the  moment  when  her  motherhood  had  been  put  to  its 
only  test,  she  had  failed  miserably.  "  Make  his  path 
smooth  in  life."  Could  she  ever  hope  to  do>  that? 
Could  she  expect  to  be  a  recompense  to  him  for  his 
bruisings  against  the  stumbling-blocks  of  a  self-hewn 
future?  Nay,  she  herself  would  become  the  obstacle 
that  thwarted  him  from  the  start,  and  one  does  not 
love  an  obstacle  any  the  better  because  its  name  is — 
Mother. 

Thank  God  at  least  that  the  letter  was  not  her  secret. 
She  would  for  certain  have  succumbed  to  the  tempta- 
tion of  suppressing  it;  and  surely  the  pain  that  may 
honestly  seek  the  daylight  is  happiness  to  the  remorse 
that  burrows  tunnels  through  the  soul.  She  looked 
up  and  saw  her  boys'  eyes  fixed  on  her  questioningly. 

"  What  was  it  you  asked  me?  "  she  said  half  at 
random. 

"Asked  you  nothing,"  replied  Leuw;  "I  was  only 
saying  that  the  '  black  '  woman's  off." 

Mrs.  Lipcott  shook  her  head.  "  Leuw,  we  must 
think  it  over." 


36  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

Leuw's  eyes  opened  wide  in  surprise.  "  Why, 
mother,  what's  there  to  think  over?  We're  not  going 
to  give  Phil  away,  are  we?" 

"  Not  give  him  away,  but  lend  him  away,  Leuw ; 
he'll  always  belong  to  us  wherever  he  is.  We'll  do 
the  lady  a  favor,  that's  all." 

"  Favor?  Fine  chance  we've  got  of  getting  on  if 
we  go  chucking  favors  at  any  promiscuous  stranger 
that  asks  for  'em.     Not  if  I  know  it,"  cried  Leuw  hotly. 

Mrs.  Lipcott  swallowed  something  and  proceeded: 

"  Don't  be  unjust,  Leuw.  The  profit  is  not  all  on 
her  side.     Look  what  she's  going  to  do  for  Phil." 

"  Yes,  she's  going  to  put  her  label  on  him — what 
is  it?  Duveen?  W7ish  you  good  morning,  Mr.  Philip 
Duveen.     There's  a  name  to  go  to  bed  with!  ' 

"She'll  make  a  gentleman  of  him;  she'll  let  him 
study,"  went  on  Mrs.  Lipcott,  half  to  herself. 

"  Let  me  study — will  she?  "  broke  in  Phil  eagerly. 

"Ah,  that's  the  bait  that's  going  to  hook  you,  I 
suppose,"  growled  Leuw.  "  What  was  that  you  said 
just  now  about  the  police?  " 

"  Leuw,"  said  Mrs.  Lipcott,  making  a  great  effort, 
"  you  must  let  me  decide  in  this,  it  concerns  me  more 
than  you." 

"  No,  it  doesn't,"  replied  Leuw  sullenly;  "  I'm  fight- 
ing for  my  brother." 

"  And  I  am  fighting  for  myself.  I  would  have  rath- 
er kept  it  in  my  heart,  but  you  make  me  say  it.  I  want 
Phil  to  go  to  the  lady  because  otherwise  I  should  feel 
afraid.  If  I  said  no,  I  might  suffer  for  it  afterward. 
Suppose — God  forbid — things  were  to  go  badly  with 
him  when  he  grows  up.  Whom  would  he  blame,  me 
or  you?     If  I  knew  I  should  be  alive  to  hear  his  hard 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  37 

words,  I  should  not  mind  so  much;  but  I  might  be 
dead,  and  have  no  chance  of  softening  them  with  my 
tears.     Can  you  understand  now,  Leuw?  " 

Leuw's  eyes  were  on  the  ground,  and  his  reply  was 
very  humble:     "Yes,  mother,  I  can." 

"  Then  let  us  make  up  our  minds  to  it  cheerfully, 
as  to  a  blessing  of  God  which  has  come  overnight. 
As  long  as  Phil  will  not  forget  us.  .  .  ." 

She  broke  off,  and  half-stifled  sobs  finished  the  sen- 
tence. 

Phil  ran  up,  and  crouched  by  her  side:  "I  shan't 
go — I  shan't,"  he  cried. 

'  That's  right,  now  that  we've  at  last  settled  it 
nicely,  you  come  and  upset  it  all  again,"  said  Leuw 
with  a  gruffness  that  was  artificial  on  the  face  of  it. 
k  Leave  off  worrying  mother — she's  crying  for  joy, 
that's  what  she  is.  You're  going  to  be  a  swell,  and 
wear  a  short  jacket,  like  those  ikey  boys  that  come  and 
sit  on  the  platform  on  Distribution  Day  and  .  .  ." 

Here  his  voice  snapped,  and  without  making  any 
further  pretense  at  being  a  man,  he  crouched  down 
on  the  other  side  of  his  mother  and — but  no,  it  must 
not  be  told.  Even  the  man  in  the  moon,  who 
just  then  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  group  through  the 
window,  solemnly  made  up  his  mind  not  to  say  a  word 
about  it. 


CHAPTER  V 

The  next  day  Phil  nearly  had  a  nasty  accident  in  the 
way  of  black-marking  his  untarnished  school  record 
by  inattention.  To  a  question  as  to  the  name  of  the 
last  Plantagenet  he  replied  with  a  vague  reference  to 
the  Grampian  Hills,  which  showed  that  his  mind  was 
temporarily  located  in  a  different  department  of  learn- 
ing. His  distraction,  however,  was  very  natural,.  Be- 
fore him  lay  the  most  difficult  task  he  had  yet  encoun- 
tered— the  reply  letter  to  Mrs.  Duveen.  It  had  been 
resolved  in  family  council  to  leave  the  writing  of  it  en- 
tirely to  him.  And  so  he  had  been  racking  his  brains 
all  the  day,  realizing  dimly  and  for  the  first  time  that 
life's  problems  are  harder  than  those  set  by  any  other 
schoolmaster.  It  was  not  till  he  had  got  home  again, 
and  was  sitting  alone  in  the  room,  pen  in  hand,  with 
the  blank  sheet  of  note-paper  staring  at  him  defiantly, 
that  at  last  an  inspiration  came  to  him.  What  a  fool 
he  had  been!  This  was  not  a  case  for  brain-racking  at 
all.  All  he  had  to  do  was  to  keep  quite  still  and  listen 
to  the  dictation  of  his  heart;  if  the  "black"  woman 
wanted  long  words  and  finical  phrases,  she  could  look 
them  up  in  the  dictionary.  He  wasn't  going  to 
bother;  and  if  it  didn't  please  her,  there  were  plenty  of 

other    boys And    so,    while    the    truculent    fit 

was  upon  him,  "  Please,  lady,"  he  began,  "  mother 
don't  mind  for  me  to  go  and  live  with  you,  though 
she  ain't  very  glad  of  it,  as  you  would  soon  know  for 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  39 

yourself  if  you  saw  her  red  eyes.  But  she  don't  mind, 
because  she  says  you'll  do  all  right  for  me,  and  put  me 
in  the  way  of  being  a  scholar,  and  what  concerns  the 
grub,  I  ain't  so  very  keen  on  it,  which  I  want  you  to 
take  notice  that  I'm  used  to  three  meals  a  day,  which 
are  tea  and  bread  for  breakfast,  bread  and  tea  for  the 
middle  of  the  day,  and  a  heavy  feed  of  taters  and  fish 
for  the  evening — taters  always  and  fish  sometimes; 
not  to  forget  meat  on  Sabbaths  and  the  holidays. 
We've  tried  living  on  less,  but  it  made  us  feel  ill,  and 
I  once  heard  Leuw  asking  God  why  He  didn't  let  him 
get  born  without  a  stomach  at  all,  so  I  can't  let  you 
off  anything,  but  if  there's  going  to  be  any  humbug 
about  the  scholaring,  you'd  better  say  so  at  once,  and 
we'll  part  as  good  friends  as  if  we  had  never  known 
each  other,  and  I'll  want  you  to  send  me  to  a  High 
School  as  high  as  what  Mike  Aarons  went  to  when 
his  father  won  all  the  money  in  the  lottery,  and  they 
moved  up  Dalston  way,  which  besides  I'll  want  to  see 
mother  and  Leuw  very  often,  and  if  it's  too  far  to 
walk,  you'll  have  to  stand  the  riding  money;  having 
filled  up  the  four  pages,  this  letter  is  from  Philip  Lip- 
cott." 

Carefully  Phil  read  and  re-read  his  epistle.  It  did 
not  seem  to  him  that  it  could  be  improved  upon.  He 
was  especially  gratified  by  its  high-handed  manner;  it 
was  just  as  well  that  the  "  black  "  woman  should  know 
whom  she  had  to  deal  with.  Of  course,  she  had  a 
very  kind,  soft  face,  but  one  could  never  tell  by  that. 
Mrs.  Daniels  looked  very  good-natured,  but  she  al- 
ways made  his  mother  come  two  or  three  times  for  the 
money.  He  had  a  vague  idea  that  perhaps  it  would 
be  wise  to  consult  a  lawyer,  or  have  something  done 


40 


SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 


at  Somerset  House  before  he  entered  into  any  definite 
arrangement  with  the  4k  black  "  woman.  Nevertheless, 
the  whole  thing  instilled  into  him  a  splendid  feeling  of 
initiative  and  independence.  He  wondered  to  how 
many  boys  of  his  age  had  ever  been  entrusted  the 
responsibility  of  inditing  and  forwarding  a  letter  k'  all 
on  their  own."  Both  his  mother  and  Leuw  had  dis- 
claimed any  desire  to  know  the  more  detailed  form 
of  his  reply,  as  long  as  it  kept  to  the  general  sense 
of  an  affirmative  to  Mrs.  Duveen's  proposal.  If  only 
he  could  have  earned  the  penny  for  the  stamp  himself 
instead  of  having  to  ask  his  mother  for  it! 

He  enveloped  and  addressed  the  letter,  and  went 
down  into  the  street  to  post  it.  At  the  pillar-box 
he  waited,  and  looked  round  if  perchance  any  ac- 
quaintance of  his  might  pass  by  and  watch  him  in  his 
supreme  moment.  A  man  in  a  hurry  nearly  jerked 
the  letter  out  of  his  hand,  and  then,  with  an  apprehen- 
sive look  at  the  muddy  pavement,  Phil  quickly  slipped 
it  into  the  box.  He  heard  it  drop — "  thud,"  he  could 
almost  have  said — to  the  bottom,  and  the  sound  filled 
him  with  a  sense  of  the  irretrievable,  which  nearly 
frightened  him.  For  the  first  time  it  came  home  to 
him,  but  only  as  in  a  dream,  that  he  had  done  some- 
thing terribly  momentous;  that  he  had  taken  his  des- 
tiny in  his  hands,  and  had  bent  it  out  of  its  appointed 
shape.  But  people  considerably  over  twelve  have  felt 
so,  and  have  turned  white  at  the  feeling.  He  got  out 
of  reach  of  the  pillar-box  as  fast  as  he  could,  but  his 
apprehension  seemed  to  keep  pace  with  him.  Never 
before  had  the  world  worn  such  an  aspect  of  loneliness. 
He  longed  for  his  mother,  for  Leuw;  his  mother  was 
out  on  an  all-day  job,  and  Leuw  had  for  the  past  week 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  41 

or  so  gone  somewhere  straight  from  school,  and  had 
not  returned  till  supper-time.  He  volunteered  no 
explanation  of  his  mysterious  absences,  and  it  would 
have  been  absurd  to  question  Leuw  about  anything 
he  did  or  did  not.  Phil  sauntered  on  aimlessly,  and 
presently  he  came  across  Yellow  Joe  kicking  his  heels 
against  the  lamp-post,  hands  in  pocket.  Yellow  Joe 
was  not  a  nickname,  but  a  faithful  translation  of  the 
more  official  Joseph  Saffron.  Happily,  he  was  one 
of  the  few  select  with  whom  Leuw  allowed  Phil  to 
associate. 

"  Hullo,  Joe,"  said   Phil. 

k  That   you,   Phil?     Why   ain't   you   indoors    read- 
ing?  " 

'  Had  to   come  out   on   business- — been   posting   a 
letter." 

In  accordance  with  the  ethics  of  politeness  current 
in  those  parts,  Yellow  Joe,  of  course,  immediately 
asked  for  the  name  of  the  addressee  and  a  concise  sum- 
mary of  its  contents.  But  his  inquisitiveness  served 
to  remind  Phil  that  for  the  present  it  might  be  ad- 
visable to  refrain  from  making  the  thing  public  prop- 
erty, especially  as  he  had  omitted  to  ascertain  Leuw's 
view  on  the  matter  of  publication.  Pie  parried  Joe's 
enquiries  as  well  as  he  could.  Then  he  proceeded  to 
the  attack  himself. 

"Know  any  rich  people,  Joe?"  he  asked  casually. 

Joe  ostentatiously  dived  deep  into  his  pocket. 

"  How  much  do  you  want  to  borrow?  " 

Phil  laughed.  "  No  larks — real  rich  people;  ever 
had  anything  to  do  with  any?  " 

'  Well,"  pondered  Joe,  "  can't  say  I  know  'em  in- 
side and  out  sort  of,  but  when  I  was  in  the  choir  at 


42 


SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 


Baysland  Street — you've  never  been  in  the  choir,  have 
you?" 

"  No,  didn't  have  luck — neither  me  nor  Leuw;  never 
got  word  of  anybody  being  wanted  till  it  was  too  late." 

"  Well,  once  we  had  a  Chanuka  treat — bloke  that 
used  to  come  and  interfere  with  the  choirmaster  at 
the  rehearsals  asked  us  up  to  his  house." 

"  Yes,  and  what  happened?" 

"  All  right,  don't  gasp  like  that;  I'll  lend  you  some 
of  my  breath  if  you're  short.  Asked  us  up  to  the  house, 
he  did.  Soon  as  we  got  inside  there  was  a  man  at  the 
door — sort  of  coachman,  you  know — what  made  us 
scrape  our  boots  till  we  wondered  that  the  mat  didn't 
catch  fire,  and  Jack  Stump's  came  right  off,  because 
he  was  wearing  his  grandfather's;  and  a  bit  farther 
on  stood  the  man  what  had  asked  us  up,  and  we  had 
to  hold  out  our  hands  for  him  to  look  at,  and  those 
that  he  couldn't  see  his  face  in  were  sent  off  to  a  room 
with  a  big  washing-tub  running  hot  and  cold — you  bet 
I  used  hot — and  then  he  marched  us  in,  and  his  missis 
looked  at  us  through  goggles  with  a  long  handle  to 
them,  and  then,  of  course,  we  had  sweets  and  cakes — 
oh,  did  we?  No,  we  didn't,  because  we  first  had  to 
tootle  up  all  the  Service  tunes — well,  I  suppose  they 
called  it  supper,  lot  of  little  bits  of  nothing,  and  be- 
cause we  didn't  know  which  way  to  eat  'em,  we  all  said, 
'  No,  thank  you,'  when  the  slavey  brought  'em  round, 
after  which  there  was  a  magic  lantern — was  there? 
Lay  you  a  house  to  a  brick  there  wasn't.  The  man 
starts  telling  you  a  yarn  about  Judas  Maccabeus,  what 
a  good  boy  he  was,  trying  to  make  us  feel  ashamed  of 
ourselves — once  T  gaped  and  he  spots  me,  oh,  my 
jaws;  wonder  I  didn't  dive  my  ivories  back  into  the 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  43 

gums  the  way  I  clicked  'em  together  again.  If  that 
man's  alive  now,  it's  only  because  we  couldn't  decide 
which  was  the  hurtfullest  way  of  killing  him." 

Now,  Yellow  Joe's  powers  of  judgment  were  notori- 
ously untrustworthy;  when  he  did  not  understate  a 
case,  he  overstated  it — it  was  always  a  toss-up  which. 
But  the  circumstantial  evidence  he  adduced  as  to  the 
nefariousness  of  this  particular  rich  man  left  Phil  no 
loophole  for  disbelief. 

"  Been  to  any  others  since?"  he  quavered. 

"Catch  me;  k  once  bitten,  twice  shy.' 

The  pregnant  terseness  of  the  colloquialism 
amounted  to  a  denunciation;  but  what  was  worse, 
Joe's  inability  to  furnish  other  instances  of  wealth, 
which  might  go  some  way  toward  mitigating  the  un- 
favorable impression  of  the  first,  compelled  Phil  to 
magnify  a  specimen  into  a  species — and  a  very  bad 
species  for  anyone  to  have  to  do  with  it  seemed.  Per- 
haps if  he  had  met  Yellow  Joe  before  posting  the  let- 
ter, which  by  now  was,  no  doubt,  already  on  its  way 
to  take  the  tidings  of  his  recklessness.  .  .  Bah,  surely 
his  mother  knew  of  these  things  as  much  as  Yellow 
Joe;  his  mother  loved  him — she  would  not  deliver 
him  into  the  hands  of  enemies  or  disagreeable  people, 
to  say  the  least  of  it.  Yellow  Joe  was  no  cheerful 
company;  he  would  go  away  and  leave  him  to  the 
pangs  of  his  prejudices  and  distorted  observations. 
Still,  though  Yrellow  Joe's  responses  did  not  impress 
him  materially,  he  determined  to  consult  no  other  ora- 
cles for  the  time  being.  This  involved  his  avoiding  any 
stray  associate  whom  he  might  meet,  lest  he  should 
feel  tempted  to  violate  his  resolution,  and  left  him 
with  a  couple  of  hours  of  solitude  to  kill,  which  was  to 


44 


SONS  OF  THE   COVENANT: 


him  a  new  if  not  pleasurable  experience.  The  cheap- 
est way  of  doing  it  was  by  the  expenditure  of  a  little 
more  sole-leather,  although  his  foot-gear  showed 
already  large  deficits  on  that  point.  He  wondered  if 
the  supply  of  boots  was  included  among  the  "  black  ': 
woman's  liabilities  to  him,  which  may  be  taken  to 
show  that  his  notions  of  his  future  relationship  with 
her  were  as  yet  of  the  haziest.  So  he  walked  on,  step- 
ping as  warily  as  possible  to  avoid  unnecessary  fric- 
tion with  the  pavement.  But  even  thus  he  soon  got 
beyond  his  everyday  radius,  and  presently  reached 
the  city,  and  was  passing  by  one  of  the  great  Railway 
Centres  where  all  London  seemed  to  be  taking  train 
to  undreamt-of  destinations.  "  All  London  "  included 
an  old  lady  who  waddled  cumbrously  up  the  stone 
steps  while  keeping  a  persistent  eye  on  the  green 
portmanteau  that  stumbled  along  her  side  fixed  on  a 
pair  of  human  shoulders.  At  the  second  glance,  how- 
ever, Phil  observed  that  it  only  obscured,  and  did  not 
act  as  substitute  for,  the  head  which  is  the  customary 
upshot  of  shoulders  in  general.  A  -sound  of  hard- 
drawn  breath,  with  a  sob  for  tag,  convinced  him  finally 
of  the  normal  humanity  of  what  he  had  for  the  mo- 
ment supposed  to  be  the  greatest  freak  of  the  century 
— the  trunk-headed  boy.  A  sudden  curiosity,  which 
might  have  been  the  afterthroe  of  his  initial  astonish- 
ment, compelled  him  to  follow  the  couple;  he  was 
eager  to  see  if  a  strange  presentiment,  taking  its  cue 
from  the  familiar  aspect  of  the  carrier's  clothing,  would 
realize  itself  in  his  face.  In  the  waiting-room  the  car- 
rier was  ordered  to  set  down  his  burden.  Phil  looked 
— of  course  it  was  Leuw;  there  he  stood,  red  and 
panting,  whilst  the  old  lady  counted  six  half-pennies 
into  his  hand,  which  trembled  as  with  palsy. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  45 

"  Why  didn't  you  say  it  was  you?  I'd  have  helped 
you  up  those  steps  with  the  thing,"  Phil  accosted  his 
brother  a  few  seconds  later,. 

"You  here?'  said  Leuw  unemotionally.  "Been 
spying,  eh?  " 

"  May  I  drop  dead  if  .  .  ." 

Leuw  nodded  to  imply  that  as  far  as  he  was  con- 
cerned the  incident  was  closed.  Phil  walked  on  be- 
side him,  wrestling  both  with  his  thoughts  and  words. 

"  Y^ou  might  have  hurt  yourself,"  he  broke  out  at 
last. 

4  I  chanced  that;  besides  they  ain't  always  so 
heavy." 

'  Is  that  what  you've  been  doing  every  evening?  ' 

"  Whenever  I  did  anything.  Jobs  are  scarce,  you 
know,  and  plenty  to  do  'em." 

"If  mother  was  to  know!" 

'  Look  here,  young  Phil,"  said  Leuw,  turning  on 
him  with  leisurely  deliberation,  "  mother  won't  know, 
— understand?  " 

"  I'll  feel  all  the  time  like  thinking  a  lie." 

'  Never  mind  what  you  feel.  If  I  don't  say  any- 
thing about  feeling," — here  Leuw  rubbed  his  shoul- 
ders ruefully — "  I  don't  see  where  you  come  in." 

:  Then  what  do  you  do  it  for?  "  asked  Phil  tear- 
fully. 

"  Because  I've  suddenly  got  gone  on  toffee-apples — 
can't  live  without  'em.  What,  you  don't  believe? 
Well,  mind  you  don't  cut  yourself — you're  sharper 
than  you  think.  'Tain't  toffee-apples — it's — it's — roll- 
ing up  shirt  sleeves,  remember?  I've  got  to  get  ready, 
and  only  four  more  days  to  do  it  in." 

"  Get  ready?     And  what's  this  you're  doing  now?  ' 


46  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  Sort  of  preliminary;  when  a  man  wants  to  set-up 
in  business,  what's  he  got  to  have?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  Leuw — I  never  thought  of  it." 

"  Good  thing  then  I  didn't  wait  for  you  to  tell  me; 
rhino  he's  got  to  have.  That's  what  I've  done  the 
carrying  for.  Don't  fret — I'm  not  going  to  stick  to 
it;  it  don't  make  you  feel  proud  of  yourself.  But  I 
can't  really  call  myself  a  man  till  I've  left  school  for 
good  and  all,  and  a  kid  can  do  a  lot  of  things  that  a 
man  can't,  eh,  Phil?" 

"  But — but  mother  thinks  you're  going  to  Spieg- 
ler's  .  .  ." 

"  As  shop-boy?  Shilling  a  week,  and  find  your  own 
aprons?  Not  yet.  I'm  going  to  have  a  firm  of  my 
own  first — '  Lewis  Lipcott  and  no  Co.'  Very  sorry 
for  Spiegler,  I  am  sure,  but  if  I  go  broke,  I'll  see  what 
I  can  do  for  him  then.  Come  on  home;  that  green 
old  leather  box  has  done  me  for  to-day,"  he  concluded, 
working  his  left  arm  somewhat  limply.  And  by  the 
time  they  got  back  to  Narrow  Alley,  Phil  flattered 
himself  that  he  had  attained  to  a  faint  glimmer  of  his 
brother's  capacity  for  enterprise. 

Although  Phil's  separation  from  his  mother  and 
Leuw  was  by  now  an  accepted  fact,  a  tremor  of  con- 
sternation ran  through  the  Lipcott  household  when 
Mrs.  Duveen's  letter,  in  answer  to  Phil's,  came,  and 
made  final  arrangements  for  his  transfer.  The  heart- 
felt, re-assuring  phrases  lost  color  alongside  of  the 
statement  that  she  would  call  to  fetch  him  next  Fri- 
day afternoon;  the  gentle  suggestion  read  like  an  ar- 
bitrary decree,  a  menace.  It  said,  if  not  in  so  many 
wrords:  two  days  longer  you  shall  be  complete,  and 
then  I  shall  come  and  help  myself  to  my  share  of  you. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  47 

And  yet  the  pain  of  it  proved  outwardly  a  blessing: 
by  settling  deeper  in  their  hearts  it  could  not  look 
out  through  their  eyes;  and  each  one,  seeing  the 
others  seemingly  resigned,  grew  afraid  of  hinting  at 
his  own  discontent, 


CHAPTER  VI 

All  next  Friday  morning  Mrs.  Duveen  was  troubled 
by  a  question  which,  on  the  face  of  it,  was  hardly  jus- 
tified in  causing  her  a  moment's  indecision:  Was  she 
to  drive  down  to  Narrow  Alley  in  the  carriage  or  not? 
And,  indeed,  it  was  only  by  a  small  margin  that  it  was 
decided  in  the  affirmative.  With  the  instinct  of  a 
good  woman  she  shrank  from  flaunting  unnecessarily 
the  paraphernalia  of  wealth  before  eyes  which  had,  no 
doubt,  many  a  time  and  oft  looked  hungrily  into 
baker-shops — the  eyes  of  Narrow  Alley.  But  then 
this  carriage  of  hers  had  been  the  last  present  her 
husband  had  given  her;  in  using  it  upon  the  errand  be- 
fore her,  it  seemed  somehow  as  though  he  were  shar- 
ing with  her  its  responsibility  and  giving  it  his  sanc- 
tion. For  though  her  resolve  had  not  known  an 
instant's  weakness  from  the  hour  of  its  birth,  she 
liked  to  think  that  she  was  doing  his  pleasure  as  well 
as  her  own,  by  making  the  gift  act  as  a  substitute  for 
the  giver.  He  would  then  explain  to  her  dead  boy — 
of  course,  she  never  imagined  them  otherwise  than  as 
being  in  close  companionship — that  he  had  no  cause 
for  jealousy,  that  he  was  not  being  ousted  from  his 
mother's  heart,  but  that  his  mother  was  giving  him 
the  supremest  proof  of  her  loyalty  by  setting  up  a  liv- 
ing monument  of  him  in  her  home. 

Furthermore — here  her  tears  changed  to  a  smile — - 
she  hoped  the  sight  of  her  equipage  would  give  little 
Phil  abundant  guarantee  that  he  was  certain  of  his 
three  meals  a  day. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  49 

Then  she  suddenly  pulled  herself  up  short.  "  I  am 
getting  old  and  fanciful,"  she  said  to  herself.  But 
she  was  wrong;  she  was  not  getting  old — at  least  not 
at  a  faster  rate  than  any  woman  of  thirty-five  has  a 
right  to;  nor  was  it  fancifulness  on  her  part.  She  was 
only  a  little  excited,  as  was  natural  under  the  circum- 
stances. Dulcie,  of  course,  had  asked  to  be  allowed 
to  accompany  her,  and  Mrs.  Duveen  had  readily  ac- 
quiesced. Listening  to  Dulcie's  prattle  would  be  the 
surest  way  of  preventing  her  own  play  of  thoughts 
from  becoming  a  disorganized  romp. 

Dulcie  came  up  to  expectation  in  so  far  that,  when 
the  carriage  got  into  the  mazy  mysteries  of  the  Spital- 
fields  district,  Airs.  Duveen  was  collected  enough  to 
instruct  the  bewildered  coachman  in  the  way  he  should 
go.  Although  the  streets  were  tolerably  clear  of 
traffic,  a  step-by-step  mode  of  advance  was  necessary, 
owing  to  the  teeming  multitudes  of  children,  some  of 
whom  had  a  dangerous  habit  of  cropping  up  within 
six  inches  of  the  horse's  fore  feet.  As  they  neared 
the  mouth  of  Narrow  Alley,  Dulcie  suddenly  shot  out 
her  arm  and  pointed: 

"  Look,  mamma,  there  he  is." 

"  Who  is?  * 
The  boy  who  shouted.     He  was  peeping  round 
the  corner,  and  when  he  saw  us,  he  ran  away." 

Mrs.  Duveen  was  not  displeased  that  her  coming 
had  been  observed  and  heralded.  It  would  afford  the 
poor  thin-faced  woman  upstairs  a  moment  or  two  in 
which  to  pass  through  the  acuteness  of  the  final 
wrench,  and  wrenches  are  best  dealt  with  when  no 
unnecessary  looker-on  is  about.  Nor  did  Mrs. 
Duveen  find  herself  disappointed  in  her  theory.  When 
4 


50  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

she  and  Dulcie  entered  the  little  room,  Mrs.  Lipcott 
received  them  with  a  smile,  which  almost  succeeded  in 
concealing  the  effort  it  cost, 

'  I  don't  know  how  to  thank  you,"  she  began,  grip- 
ping Mrs.   Duveen's  extended  hand. 

"Well,  and  what  am  I  to  say?"  replied  Mrs. 
Duveen,  returning  the  other's  grip  almost  convul- 
sively. 

ik  Then  please  don't  let  us  say  anything  about  it  at 
all;  I  dare  say  we  have  both  thought  more  about  it 
than  we  could  ever  put  into  words." 

Mrs.  Duveen  looked  at  her  with  a  glance  wherein 
pity  struggled  with  admiration;  then  she  said: 

"  How  wonderfully  brave  you  are !  " 

"  I,  brave?     It's  you  who  are  brave." 
:  You  mock  me,  Mrs.  Lipcott;  I  am  weak  and  sel- 
fish." 

But  Mrs.  Lipcott  shook  her  head  persistingly  as 
she  went  on,  still  with  that  tense  smile  of  hers: 

"  Why,  look  at  the  great  risk  you  are  taking  on 
yourself.  What  do  you  know  abouf  my  child?  How 
can  you  be  sure  that  he  isn't  everything  that  is  bad 
and  abominable?  You  couldn't  even  tell  whether  he 
had  straight  limbs  or  not.  My  very  readiness  to  part 
with  him  ought  to  have  been  a  warning  to  you." 

"Well?"   asked   Mrs.   Duveen   expectantly. 

"  All  that  never  struck  you — or  if  it  did,  you  never 
considered  it.  You  didn't  try  to  safeguard  yourself 
against  making  a  bad  bargain,  as  other  people  would 
have  done  under  the  circumstances.  You  didn't 
'make  enquiries;'  you  didn't  come  and  size  him  up 
inside  and  outside  like  a  calf  at  a  fair.  You  just  did 
as  your  heart  told  you  to  do ;  didn't  you  want  a  lot  of 
courage  for  that?" 


A  TALE   OF  LONDON  JEWRY  51 

This  time  it  was  surprise  that  kept  Mrs.  Duveen 
silent.  How  was  she  to  know  that  the  only  compen- 
sation on  earth  which  the  poor  possess  is  the  power 
of  ready  expression?  Life  gives  them  words,  because 
it  is  afraid  that  their  dumb  thoughts  would  kill  them. 

'  I  am  very  glad  you  said  that,  Mrs.  Lipcott,"  re- 
plied Mrs.  Duveen  finally.  tk  Till  this  moment  I  did 
not  think  there  was  anything  in  this  affair  that  might 
stand  to  my  credit.  You  don't  know  what  a  deed  of 
charity  you  have  done  in  making  me  think  less  meanly 
of  myself." 

Mrs.  Lipcott's  lips  moved  as  though  she  were  about 
to  speak;  then  they  shut  tightly,  and  her  gaze  wan- 
dered from  Mrs.  Duveen's  face  to  Phil  in  silent  en- 
treaty.    Mrs,.  Duveen  understood. 

'  If  Phil  is  ready  " — she  said,  her  voice  very  soft 
and  kindly. 

"  Yes,  he's  quite  ready." 

It  was  Leuw  who  answered.  Even  had  he  known 
how  ill-tempered  his  words  sounded,  he  would  not 
have  cared.  It  was  really  very  annoying.  Ever  since 
she  had  come  into  the  room  he  had  felt  the  little  girl 
looking  at  him,  and  the  annoying  part  of  it  was  that 
while  she  did  that,  he  could  not  look  at  her,  much  as 
he  wanted  to.  Once  or  twice  their  glances  had 
crossed,  and  he  had  colored  up  and  looked  away  in  a 
hurry.  Why  should  he?  Especially  when  she  herself 
not  so  much  as  drooped  an  eyelash,  but  continued  her 
equanimous  stare  in  utter  contentment.  For  all  she 
seemed  to  care  he  might  be  a  wax  figure  or  something 
painted  on  a  wall.  His  manly  soul  revolted  against 
this  implied  inferiority;  and  that,  combined  with  a 
nameless   ache   into  which  his  brother   Phil  had  re- 


52  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

solved  himself,  had  put  the  cloud  on  his  face  and  the 
rasp  into  his  voice.  He,  too,  wished  that  the  whole 
thing  were  over  and  done  with.  It  was  hard  work 
keeping  down  the  gulps;  besides,  it  might  be  danger- 
ous; at  least,  it  hurt  enough,. 

Well,  it  could  not  last  much  longer  now;  already 
things  were  taking  place  between  his  mother  and  Phil. 
The  lady  in  "  black  "  was  looking  out  through  the 
window.  The  sight  gratified  Leuw  curiously;  her  win- 
dow was  probably  ordinary  glass,  and  had  no  card- 
board patched  across  to  make  it  picturesque.  And 
then  he  started  violently;  the  little  girl  was  talking  to 
him. 

"  I  hope  you  aren't  cross  because  we  are  taking 
your  brother  away  with  us?" 

There — nearly;  that  gulp  had  almost  gone  too  high 
— he  only  managed  to  swallow  it  by  the  veriest  nick 
of  chance. 

"Oh,  it's  all  right;  don't  trouble  about  that,"  he 
answered  vaguely. 

"  We'll  be  very  kind  to  him." 

"You'd  better." 

And  then  he  ought  to  have  felt  glad,  because  his 
brusqueness  visibly  disconcerted  the  self-possessed 
little  girl,  and  made  her  at  a  loss  what  to  say  next. 
But  before  he  could  put  his  emotions  into  the  right 
shape,  Phil  was  upon  him  with  streaming  eyes  and 
sobbing:  "  'by,  Leuw." 

Here  was  another  dilemma:  ought  he  to  kiss  Phil? 
P>ut  Phil  solved  the  difficulty  by  throwing  his  arms 
about  his  neck  and — well,  and  then  there  was  no  help 
for  it. 

'  Here,    leave    off    blubbering — what'll    the    people 
downstairs  think?"  Leuw  whispered  severely. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  53 

"  I  can't  help  it,"  replied  Phil,  and  then  his  tears 
ceased  immediately,.  As  he  was  going  away,  it  did 
not  so  much  matter  to  him  what  the  people  down- 
stairs thought;  but  the  disgrace  of  it  was  a  bad  legacy 
to  leave  Leuw,  and  Leuw  didn't  deserve  it. 

Mrs.  Lipcott  went  to  the  door.  Mrs.  Duveen,  how- 
ever, stood  irresolute  and  embarrassed.  She  did  not 
know  how  to  express  in  words  what  she  wanted  to 
say.  But  Mrs.  Lipcott  guessed,  and  saved  her 
further  trouble. 

'  No,  not  a  penny,  Mrs.  Duveen.  I  don't  want  it 
to  appear  that  I  had  sold  my  child.  You  wouldn't 
like  it  either — would  you?" 

'  Not  in  the  way  you  put  it,"  faltered  Mrs.  Duveen ; 

*  but  I  should  so  much  like  to  do  something  to  make 

your  life   easier.     Perhaps   your   other  boy — perhaps 

I  might  find  you  a  situation  in  the  office  of  one  of  my 

friends." 

'  Much  obliged,  lady,"  replied  Leuw,  to  whom  she 
had  turned  at  the  last  words,  "  but  I  have  already  made 
up  my  mind  what  to  take  to." 

Mrs.  Duveen  shrugged  her  shoulders  in  token  of 
despair. 

'  It  almost  looks  as  if  you  had  both  determined  to 
punish  me,"  she  said,  smiling  tremulously.  And  then 
she  became  quite  serious. 

4  But  you  will  promise  me,  Mrs.  Lipcott,  that  if 
ever  you  cannot  help  yourself,  you  will  look  on  me 
as  a  sister." 

Mrs.  Lipcott  gave  the  promise;  it  did  not  commit 
her  to  anything.  And  then,  without  any  visiMe  con- 
certing, a  move  was  made  downstairs.  Phil  headed 
it.     He  knew  by  so  doing  he  laid  himself  open  to  the 


54 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 


suspicion  that  he  was  in  a  great  hurry  to  shake  the 
dust  of  Narrow  Alley  off  his  feet;  but  he  preferred 
being  misinterpreted  to  the  possibility  of  being  un- 
necessarily looked  at  by  his  mother  and  Leuw.  A 
cursory  glance  into  the  copper  kettle,  which  Mrs.  Lip- 
cott's  polishing  had  converted  into  the  family  mirror, 
had  shown  him  that  his  face  had  resumed  an  aspect 
of  tolerable  composure.  And  by  taking  the  lead  he 
ran  less  risk  of  breaking  down  again  and  so  becoming 
a  delectation  to  the  "  people  downstairs  "  and  a  hu- 
miliation to  Leuw.  Next  came  his  mother  and  Mrs. 
Duveen,  the  latter  giving  the  former  some  details  as 
to  her  probable  movements  in  the  near  future,  which 
would  perhaps  include  a  visit  to  the  seaside,  for  the 
benefit  of  Phil.  The  rear  was  brought  up  by  Dulcie 
and  Leuw.  She  had  waited  at  the  top  of  the  staircase 
till  Leuw  had  finished  fastening  the  door,  and  then 
without  further  ceremony  had  thrust  her  hand  in  his. 
The   descent  looked  dangerous. 

But  Leuw  did  not  appreciate  her  trust;  he  promptly 
withdrew  his  hand,. 

"  Why?  "  asked  Dulcie,  looking  up  at  him  in  pained 
wonder. 

"  Dirty  fingers — spoil  your  mittens,"  he  explained 
speciously. 

"  They  ain't  mittens — they're  gloves,"  was  the  in- 
dignant retort. 

Her  foot  emphasized  her  indignation  by  making  a 
false  step.  After  that  there  was  no  help  for  it.  Leuw 
had  to  accept  the  pilotship. 

"  But  only  to  the  bottom,"  he  threatened.  He  knew 
what  awaited  him  then — gaping  curiosity;  and 
though  the  feel  of  the  warm  little  hand  was  the  most 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  55 

pleasurable  sensation  life  had  yet  given  him,  it  was 
outweighed  by  fear  of  the  ridicule  he  was  surely  stor- 
ing up  for  himself.  But  Dulcie  had  no  idea  of  the 
momentous  reasons  which  had  prompted  his  proviso, 
and  straightway  informed  him  he  was  horrid. 

44  Don't  care  if  I  am,"  replied  Leuw. 

"  It's  wicked  not  to  care  whether  you  are  horrid 
or  not,"  declared  Dulcie. 

"  Dare  say  you've  been  told  so  yourself." 

"  I  haven't." 

"  Then  you  ought  to  be." 

Leuw  held  tight  to  the  banisters  in  case  he  needed 
support  against  the  fierce  retort  which  no  doubt  was 
gathering  during  her  momentary  silence,.  He  also 
turned  his  head  towards  her  so  as  not  to  be  taken  by 
it  unawares.  Then  he  gasped.  Instead  of  an  angry 
frown  a  smile,  sweet  and  wistful,  confronted  him. 

"  Don't  let's  quarrel,  eh?  "  she  said. 

"  All  right,"  assented  Leuw  promptly,  only  to  regret 
his  promptness  the  next  instant.  Perhaps  he  had 
been  tricked;  perhaps  that  smile  of  hers  was  only 
some  insidious  method  of  attack.  But  because,  such 
as  it  was,  it  did  so  much  to  lessen  the  pain  of  parting 
with  his  brother,  he  would  look  at  it  in  all  charity,  and 
give  it  credit  for  the  best  intentions. 

They  completed  the  descent  in  silence,  because 
they  both  felt  that  was  the  best  way  of  keeping  their 
compact.  By'  the  time  they  reached  the  court,  the 
other  three  had  nearly  got  as  far  as  the  carriage.  Phil 
was  looking  at  it  scared.  How  shiny  it  looked;  he 
wondered  what  kind  of  polish  they  used  for  the  horse. 
He  gave  a  start  when  Mrs.  Duveen  opened  the  door, 
and  told  somebody  to  get  in;  quite  true,  she  meant 


56  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

himself.  Dare  he  kiss  his  mother  once  more?  He 
would  chance  it,  come  what  may.  And  nothing  came 
— at  least,  no  tears.  After  that  he  could  safely  give 
Leuw's  hand  another  shake. 

But  Leuw  did  not  let  him  off  so  cheaply;  bending 
close  to  him  he  whispered  in  Phil's  ear: 

"  Phil,  do  you  remember  the  other  time  you  rode  in 
a  carriage?  " 

Phil  looked  at  him  nonplussed;  then  he  recollected. 

"  Yes,  at  father's  funeral." 

"  And  you'll  never  forget?  " 

44  Never." 

Leuw  nodded;  he  was  satisfied.  He  knew  Phil 
had  caught  the  inner  meaning  of  his  query.  It  had 
always  been  the  most  poignant  recollection  of  their 
boyhood,  that  drive  to  the  cemetery  in  the  lumbering 
mourning  coach  in  which  they  had  sat,  their  arms 
twining  about  each  other,  their  hearts  closely  knit 
by  the  chain  of  their  common  sorrow.  The  dreary 
scene  had  brought  home  to  them  how  near  they  were 
to  one  another;  it  rose  up  in  their  minds  whenever 
there  was  danger  of  a  harsh  thought  or  bitter  word. 
But  this  was  the  first  time  that  either  had  given  it 
speech.  They  had  arrived  at  the  parting  of  their 
ways,  and  neither  knew  where  or  how  their  paths 
would  cross  again ;  each  one  was  about  to  start  on  the 
forging  of  his  life,  but  however  it  shaped,  they  wanted 
to  make  sure  that  at  least  one  memory  would  be  part 
of  both  and  make  them  eternally  kin.  And  so  this  was 
their  way  of  swearing  everlasting  brotherhood. 

"  Never,"  repeated  Phil,  and  before  the  word  had 
ceased  to  vibrate  on  Leuw's  hearing,  the  carriage  was 
rumbling  away.     He  did  not  know  whether  he  had 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  57 

answered  Mrs.  Duveen's  kindly  klgood-by;'  he  be- 
lieved he  had  distorted  his  features  into  a  grin  so  as 
not  entirely  to  ignore  Dulcie's  parting  smile.  But 
he  knew  nothing  for  certain  till  his  mother  tapped  him 
on  the  arm  and  said: 

"Let's  come  in,  Leuw;  what's  the  use  of  standing 
here?" 

lie  then  became  aware  of  the  surging  crowd  and 
the  oppressive  curiosity  of  the  neighbors,  who  were 
overwhelming  his  mother  with  enquiries,  to  which 
she  gave  perfunctory  replies. 

Of  course  he  would  go  in,  and  every  unwarranted 
visitor  would  be  shown  the  door.  What  a  lot  of  good 
a  little  solitude  would  do  him.  He  would  get  rid  of 
the  heavy  weight  of  thought  that  was  crushing  his 
mind,  and  what  concerned  the  aching  smart  that 
seemed  to  set  his  eyes  on  fire — perhaps  he  would  even 
find  a  cure  for  that. 

Tenderly  he  took  his  mother  by  the  arm,  and,  look- 
ing neither  right  nor  left,  clove  a  way  for  the 
two  of  them.  But  his  ardent  desire  to  be  left  alone 
was  not  to  be  gratified.  Scarcely  had  they  got  back 
to  the  room,  and  had  given  one  look  round  for  a 
familiar  figure,  which  they  knew  would  not  be  there, 
when  the  agonized  creak  of  the  staircase  and  the  noisy 
swishing  of  frocks  announced  somebody's  coming. 
Both  held  their  breath  as  though  that  would  insure 
the  comer's  passing  on,  but  the  next  moment  dashed 
their  hopes,  and  ushered  in  Mrs.  Diamond,  red  and 
breathless. 

"  Why,  what's  the  matter — what's  it  all  about?  " 
she  gasped. 

Mrs.    Lipcott  looked   at  her  with   a   glance  which 


58  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

somewhat  disconcerted  the  visitor,  for  the  tone  of  her 
next  words  was  half  apologetic: 

"  I  couldn't  make  out  what  they  were  telling  me 
downstairs.  I  just  saw  it  drive  away  from  a  distance 
— the  carriage,  you  know,  and  they  said  your  little 
Phil  was  going  away  in  it." 

'  Yes,   Phil   went  away   in   it,"   corroborated   Mrs. 
Lipcott, 

"  Why,  who's  taking  him  out  for  a  drive?  " 

"  He  isn't  gone  for  a  drive.  He  has  left  us;  some- 
body has  adopted  him." 

'Adopted?     Who  is  it — why  don't  you  tell  me?" 

"  A  Mrs.  Duveen,"  said  Mrs.  Lipcott  wearily. 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  the  rich  Mrs.  Duveen?  ': 

"  She  seemed  very  well-to-do." 

Mrs.  Diamond  clasped  her  hands  together.  "  And 
to  think  that  if  I  had  been  here  ten  minutes  ago,  I 
should  have  been  able  to  talk  to  her!  I've  been  want- 
ing to  know  her  for  years ;  she'd  be  such  a  nice  woman 
to  go  to  have  tea  with.  But  do  go  on;  tell  me  how  it 
all  happened." 

Briefly  Mrs.  Lipcott  gave  an  account  of  Mrs. 
Duveen's  first  call  in  the  company  of  the  paid  inves- 
tigator from  the  Board  of  Guardians,  and  what  oc- 
curred subsequently.  As  the  story  proceeded,  Mrs, 
Diamond's  eyes  glistened,  and  a  fatuous  look  of  satis- 
faction spread  over  her  broad  face. 

"  So  that  letter  to  the  Board  did  it  all?  "  she  asked 
finally. 

'  I  suppose  so,"  was  Mrs.  Lipcott's  quiet  reply. 

"  Well,  I  wrote  that  letter,"  burst  from  Mrs.  Dia- 
mond triumphantly. 

"You  did?"  cried  Leuw  and  Mrs.  Lipcott  in  a 
breath.  # 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  59 

44  Yes,  I  did,"  replied  Mrs.  Diamond,  thrusting  out 
both  her  arms  as  if  to  ward  off  the  storm  of  gratitude 
which  she  was  sure  would  overwhelm  her  presently; 
"  it  was  my  idea  entirely.  I  was  your  good  angel  as 
usual.  Oh!  when  will  the  community  recognize  all 
the  good  work  I  am  doing?  " 

"  If  it  was  you  that  sent  the  Board  people  here," 
began  Mrs.   Lipcott,  .  .  . 

"Y^es?"  interrupted  Mrs.  Diamond  eagerly.  Her 
reward  was  coming  now. 

" — then  I  don't  thank  you  for  it." 

"  Great  heavens,  the  woman  is  mad,"  cried  Mrs. 
Diamond,  turning  to  an  imaginary  audience  to  tes- 
tify; and  then,  as  she  saw  Mrs.  Lipcott  was  about  to 
proceed,  she  waved  her  down  fiercely: 

"  Don't  thank  me  for  it?  Of  course  not.  When 
can  one  ever  do  enough  for  the  likes  of  you?  You 
ain't  satisfied  that  one  of  your — your  children  has 
been  taken  off  your  hands,  and  will  be  brought  up 
like  a  prince?  A  fat  lot  you've  done  to  deserve  it. 
Only  because  my  good  heart  wouldn't  keep  still,  and 
made  me  think  and  worry  about  you,  I've  now  got 
to  run  the  risk  of  going  into  a  fit  and  making  poor 
old  Diamond  a  widower  before  his  time.  Don't  thank 
me?     You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself." 

Leuw  was  standing  rampant,  his  fists  clenched  at 
the  biting  words.  Then  he  did  the  proper  thing — he 
went  and  sat  down  quietly  in  the  farthest  corner;  his 
mother  would  tackle  her  better.  He  was  right;  his 
mother  set  about  her  vindication,  not  as  he  would 
have  done,  with  a  torrent  of  angry  recriminations,  but 
very  softly  and  leisurely.  There  was  no  hurry;  it 
would  take  Mrs.  Diamond  at  least  two  minutes  to 
reconstruct  herself  after  her  collapse. 


6o  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT 

"  It  wouldn't  be  honest  of  me  to  pretend  I  was 
grateful  to  you  for  it,  Mrs.  Diamond,"  said  Mrs.  Lip- 
cott.  "  I  know  you  meant  the  writing  of  that  letter 
for  all  that  was  good  and  kind,  but  if  it  hadn't  been 
written  at  all,  my  Phil  would  have  been  here  now." 

Mrs.  Diamond  worked  herself  up  as  far  as  a  grunt. 

"  Of  course,  I  knew  what  it  meant  for  him  when  the 
lady  came  and  offered  to  take  him  to  her;  I  dared  not 
say  k  no/  for  his  sake.  But  if  the  offer  had  never  been 
made,  how  much  heart-ache  would  I  have  been  spared. 
And  then,  who  knows  it  is  for  the  best?  Perhaps  he 
would  have  done  as  well  if  he  had  been  left  to  climb 
his  stiles  himself.  You  know,  Mrs.  Diamond,  the 
blessing  of  God  will  any  day  go  as  far  as  the  help  of 
man.  And,  in  any  case,  we  should  still  have  been  all 
together;  that  is  the  only  thing  I  think  of  at  present." 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  there's  a  chance  of  your  coming  to 
your  senses  sonic  day,"  said  Mrs.  Diamond  with  overt 
sarcasm,  as  she  gathered  herself  up  to  go.  ''  All  I 
know  is  that  I'm  done  with  you." 

"  God  will  help  me,"  said  Mrs.  Lipcott.  However, 
it  was  with  a  sinking  heart  that  she  heard  the  door 
slam.  Her  pious  utterance  wTas  no  mere  common- 
place, but  Mrs.  Diamond  was  half  her  living.  And 
presently  her  trust  in  God  was  brilliantly  justified,  be- 
cause the  next  moment  Mrs.  Diamond  re-appeared  in 
the  doorway — quite  a  different  Mrs.  Diamond  to  the 
one  of  the  red  face  and  screech  voice.  This  one  said 
quite  sweetly: 

'  By  the  way,  Mrs.  Lipcott,  I've  got  some  easy 
washing  for  you  next  Monday.  A  happy  Sabbath  to 
you." 

"A   happy   Sabbath,   ah!   yes,   a  happy   Sabbath!' 
murmured  Mrs.  Lipcott  bitterly  to  herself. 


CHAPTER  VII 

Phil  Lipcott  knew  that,  however  eventful  his  future 
life  might  be,  it  would  contain  no  more  definite  land- 
mark than  the  Friday  on  which  he  severed  his  con- 
nection with  Narrow  Alley.  The  intense  excitement 
of  the  day,  far  from  throwing  his  feelings  into  chaos, 
only  tended  to  heighten  his  powers  of  perception. 
Every  heave  of  the  carriage  ran  through  him  with  the 
force  of  an  electric  shock.  The  sweet,  gentle  look  of 
the  "  black  "  lady  opposite  him  became  a  stare  beneath 
which  he  writhed;  and  when  Dulcie  first  broke  the 
silence,  once  they  had  got  under  way,  with  the  remark 
that  'k  by  rights  he  ought  to  sit  with  his  back  to  the 
driver/'  even  Mrs.  Duveen's  smiling  reply  "  that  it 
didn't  matter  this  time,"  could  not  redeem  Dulcie's 
words  from  being  a  vote  of  censure. 

"  Don't  look  so  sad,"  went  on  Mrs,.  Duveen  play- 
fully. 

'Don't  you  think  I  ought  to?"  came  Phil's  quick 
reply. 

That  very  moment  he  had  succeeded  in  putting  the 
right  construction  on  the  vague  dissatisfaction  which 
had  possessed  him  all  through;  he  felt  like  being  kid- 
naped, and  he  wanted  the  "  black  "  lady  to  know  it. 

Dulcie  regarded  him  thoughtfully;  then  she  deliv- 
ered herself: 

"  I  like  you  for  saying  that." 

"Why?"  asked  Phil  pointblank. 

"  I  don't  know,"  admitted  Dulcie,  without  appear- 


62  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

ing  in  the  least  abashed.  Of  course  she  didn't  know; 
it  would  take  "her  quite  another  six  or  seven  years  to 
find  out  truly  the  causes  of  things.  But  by  that  time 
she  would  know  that  what  she  liked  in  Phil,  on  this 
particular  occasion,  was  his  manner  of  answering — a 
manner  which  reminded  her  strongly  of  that  of  his 
brother,  "  the  boy  who  shouted." 

Mrs.  Duveen,  too,  was  not  displeased  at  Phil's 
brusqueness.  She  understood  the  boy's  irritation, 
and  was,  if  anything,  agreeably  surprised  to  see  it 
manifest  itself;  it  showed  he  had  the  courage  of  his 
opinions.  But  at  the  same  time  she  knew  how  far 
she  herself  was  responsible  for  it,  and  so  it  was  more 
in  answer  to  herself  that  she  said: 

'  At  any  rate,  we  shall  try  to  make  you  very  happy 
with  us." 

u  Will  you?"  asked  Phil  with  much  wistfulness, 
and  yet  as  much  suspicion  in  his  voice. 

"  Certainly;  but  you  must  help  us  a  little,"  Phil 
sat  up.  What  was  coming?  No  doubt  some  onerous 
condition  by  which  the  'black'  lady  was  going  to 
give  her  game  away.  He  tried  to  imagine  how  Leuw 
would  have  tackled  this  dangerous  situation. 

'  Help  you?  Well,  I'm  not  going  to  do  anything 
hard,"  he  said  stubbornly. 

"  It  isn't  very  hard.  I  only  want  you  to  trust  me, 
that's  all.  Do  you  think  your  mother  would  have  let 
you  go  with  us  if  there  were  anything  to  be  afraid  of? 
Now,  there's  a  good  boy,  trust  me  a  little  bit." 

"  I'm  sure  I  wouldn't  beg  him  so  hard,"  cried  Dulcie 
indignantly,  "  everybody  trusts  you — the  butcher  and 
the  dressmaker  and  everybody;  and  Jane  told  the 
policeman    yesterday  she'd    never   had    such   a   good 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  63 

place  in  her  life,  and  don't  you  think  I  was  listening, 
because  I  never,  never  listen." 

Mrs.  Duveen  put  a  gentle  hand  over  the  voluble 
little  mouth. 

"  No,  let  Phil  himself  answer,"  she  said  patiently. 

"About  the  trusting?  "  asked  Phil,  perhaps  to  gain 
time.     Mrs..  Duveen  nodded. 

"  Well,  I'll  chance  it;  I  can't  say  any  fairer,  can  I? ' 

Mrs.  Duveen  laughed,  but  so  as  to  make  it  obvious 
that  her  motive  was  pleasure  and  not  amusement.  She 
knew  one  is  on  the  safe  side  in  looking  on  children  as 
sensitive  plants. 

.  "Aren't  we  near  Edgware  Road,"  asked  Dulcie  sud- 
denly.     '  You  know  you  said  to  Uncle  Bram  that. 

"  Yes,  yes — we  shall  be  there  presently,"  broke  in 
Mrs.  Duveen  hastily.  Phil  pricked  up  his  ears. 
Edgware  Road?  What  was  going  to  happen  there? 
That  wasn't  the  address  to  which  he  had  sent  his 
letter.  Well,  he  had  promised  to  trust  them,  and  it 
would  not  be  honest  to  break  his  word,  even  though 
nobody  but  himself  knew  anything  about  it.  So,  in 
order  to  save  himself  from  further  temptation  in  the 
matter,  he  determined  to  set  his  mind  to  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  drive.  And  in  this  he  succeeded  so  well 
that  the  sudden  stopping  of  the  carriage  woke  him 
from  a  halcyon  state  that  had  almost  made  him  torpid. 

'  Is  this  where  you  live?"  he  asked  distractedly. 

'Live!'  exclaimed  Dulcie  with  scorn.  "Don't 
you  see  this  is  a  tailor's  shop?" 

But  their  halting  place  was  a  good  deal  more  than 
a  tailor's  shop;  it  was  a  large  clothing  emporium  to 
which  even  the  great  Edgware  Road  could  point  with 
pride  as  a  local  achievement. 


64  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

Mechanically  Phil  followed  the  other  two  in. 
k  A  complete  outfit  for  the  young  gentleman?    Cer- 
tainly, ma'am.     Please  step.„this  way,"  said  the  obse- 
quious shop-walker. 

"  Young  gentleman!  Who  are  you  having  a  lark 
with?  "  was  on  the  tip  of  Phil's  tongue;  but  even  his 
keenest  scrutiny  could  detect  no  irony  in  the  man's 
mien  or  manner.  And  presently  he  was  being  meas- 
ured as  carefully  as  if  he  were  the  first  boy  of  his  size 
who  had  ever  wanted  clothes. 

"  And  you  might  let  him  put  on  the  Eton  things 
at  once,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen  to  the  shop-man  at  the  end 
of  a  colloquy,  from  which  Phil  learnt,  to  his  utter 
astonishment,  that  he  was  to  be  furnished  with  three 
suits,  each  for  different  wear. 

Good  gracious!  he  would  have  to  spend  all  his 
time  changing  from  one  into  the  other. 

"  Certainly,  ma'am;  but  we  had  better  get  the  other 
things  first,"  replied  the  shop-man. 

Other  things?  What,  were  they  going  to  buy  the 
whole  place  up?  At  any  rate,  it  was  sampled  pretty 
completely.  Boots,  three  pairs,  good  strong  lace- 
boots,  patents,  and  slippers.  Then  hosiery,  ever  so 
many  collars,  ties,  underwear,  handkerchiefs.  From 
the  hat  department  came  two  caps,  a  "  bowler  "  and 
— no,  this  was  too  much!  What  would  Yellow  Joe, 
what  would  all  Narrow  Alley  say  to  Phil  Lipcott  in 
a  chimney-pot  hat?  But,  protest  as  much  as  he 
would,  the  inexorable  shop-man  dragged  him  before 
the  man-high  looking-glass  to  make  him  concede  that 
it  was  a  perfect  fit.  After  that  he  was  hurried  off  to 
a  different  room,  where  the  same  shop-man  acted  as 
his  valet,  and  helped  him  into  the  "  Eton  things." 
Then    there    was    more    looking-glass.     Phil    almost 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  65 

jumped  with  fright  as  he  glanced  at  himself.  So 
Leuw's  prophecy  about  his  developing  into  one  of 
those  short-coated,  broad-collared  swells  had  come 
absolutely  true.  When  he  returned,  he  was  just  in 
time  to  see  Mrs.  Duveen  counting  out  nine  shining 
sovereigns;  and  she  only  got  three  shillings  change. 
Phil  became  suddenly  convinced  that  the  •"  black  " 
lady  was  very  much  in  earnest,  because  nine  sover- 
eigns, even  minus  the  three  shillings,  was  evidently 
too  much  to  pay  for  a  joke.  All  the  way  back  to  the 
carriage  he  pondered  how  to  take  the  occasion.  He 
wondered  if  he  ought  to  make  a  speech;  he  would  try. 
And  then,  almost  in  spite  of  himself,  he  touched  the 
1  black  "  lady's  gloved  hand  with  his — they  were  once 
more  seated  in  the  carriage — and  said: 

11  Thank  you,  ma'am." 

How  grateful  he  was  to  the  shop-man  for  teaching 
him  that  "  ma'am." 

Mrs.  Duveen  kept  his  hand  in  hers,  and  next  did  a 
quite  unexpected  thing;  she  bent  forward,  and  before 
Phil  could  guess  her  intent,  she  had  kissed  him  on  the 
cheek.  The  following  instant  he  was  startled  by  a 
cry  from  Dulcie. 

"  Me,  too,  mamma!  " 

And  without  giving  her  mother  time  to  do  her  bid- 
ding, Dulcie  had  flung  her  arms  about  Mrs.  Duveen's 
neck,  and  was  kissing  her  with  half-frenzied  passion. 
Mrs.  Duveen  patted  her  soothingly.  But  she  was 
deeply  grateful  for  the  danger-light.  What  she  held 
in  her  arms  was  not  a  child,  but  a  little  powder  mine 
of  love,  into  which  she  would  have  to  be  very  careful 
not  to  drop  the  spark  of  jealousy,  or  God  knew  what 
the  result  would  be. 


66  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  But  you  must  not  call  me  '  ma'am,' "  she  said  turn- 
ing smilingly  to  Phil,  who  was  watching  the  incident 
with  wide  open   eyes   and  mouth. 

"  And  he  isn't  going  to  call  you  mamma;  you're  my 
mamma  and  nobody  else's,"  ruled  Dulcie,  the  melting 
grayness  of  whose  eyes  had  hardened  into  a  steel-blue 
glint. 

Mrs.  Duveen  had  an  inspiration. 

"  Then  perhaps  you  might  suggest  what  he's  to 
call  me,"  she  said  deferentially. 

The  appeal  to  her  authority  had  its  effect  on  Dulcie. 
She  looked  at  Phil,  and  her  anger  against  him  melted 
into  pity. 

Poor  boy,  he  did  not  appear  to  be  overburdened 
with  the  joys  of  life,  and  she  was  deliberately  going 
to  deprive  him  of  a  great  chance  of  adding  to  them. 
But  be  that  as  it  may,  she  was  clear  on  one  point:  her 
mamma  must  be  entirely  her  own,  name  and  all. 

"You  may  call  her  'auntie'  if  you  like;  that's  a 
sort  of  second-hand  mother,  you  know,"  she  said 
finally,  and  with  an  appearance  of  great  generosity. 

"  That's  splendid,  Dulcie,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen  joy- 
fully; now  that  the  question  of  style  and  title  had  been 
raised,  she  saw  it  was  really  one  of  great  concern. 
"You  won't  mind  'auntie,'  Phil,  will  you?" 

"  I'd  rather  make  it  *  aunt,' ;'  replied  Phil;  "  '  auntie  ' 
sounds  so — so  babyish." 

"  Please  yourself,  by  all  means,"  laughed  Mrs. 
Duveen  in  reply. 

So  a  crisis  was  happily  averted,  Dulcie  resumed 
her  look  of  angelic  imperturbability  and  her  seat  in  the 
corner.  But  Phil  could  not  help  eyeing  her  from  time 
to  time  with  sidelong  glances.     It  struck  him  that  he 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  67 

had  taken  her  too  much  for  granted.  She  was  evi- 
dently a  more  complicated  affair  than  that  unruffled 
little  face  of  hers  led  one  to  believe.  But  the  thought 
did  not  trouble  him  long.  He  had  more  important 
business  in  hand;  he  fancied  he  was  beginning  to  like 
this  so-called  aunt  of  his,  and  he  wanted  to  make  his 
fancy  an  accomplished  fact  before  something  came 
and  interfered.  And  as  nothing  interfered,  he  made 
some  headway  with  his  task  by  the  time  the  carriage 
came  to  a  final  pause. 

'  This  is  our  house,"  pointed  Dulcie  with  an  em- 
phasis on  the  "  this  ';  which  was  clearly  intended  to 
reprove  him  for  the  tailor-shop.  Phil  looked  at  the 
fine  four-storied  building.  He  did  not  at  all  like 
Dulcie's  boastfulness.  "Our  house,"  indeed!  He 
wondered  how  many  rooms  in  it  his  new  aunt  occu- 
pied, and  how  many  other  tenants  it  contained.  But 
he  was  not  allowed  to  wonder  long.  Simultaneously 
both  the  front  door  and  the  area  door  opened,  and  out 
came  two  white-capped  young  women. 

They  helped  the  occupants  of  the  carriage  to  alight, 
and  then,  at  a  word  from  Mrs.  Duveen,  they  burdened 
themselves  with  the  packages  containing  Phil's  outfit. 
Phil  caught  them  looking  at  him  furtively,  but  he  had 
no  reason  to  feel  annoyed  at  their  curiosity,  because 
it  was  visibly  tempered  with  respect.  He  was,  how- 
ever, a  little  disconcerted  that  such  well-dressed  ladies 
should  be  made  to  carry  parcels  while  he  stood  idle. 

'  Shall  I  help  them?"  he  asked  Mrs.  Duveen  in  a 
half  whisper. 

"  No,  thank  you,  sir,  we  shall  manage  all  right," 
came  from  one  of  the  young  women,  who  had  appar- 
ently  overheard   him.     This  time   Phil   could  hardly 


68  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

restrain  himself  from  laughing  aloud.  The  stupid 
thing!  If  she  only  knew  whom  she  was  "sirring." 
Why,  he  was  Philly  Lipcott,  who  lived  in  Narrow  Al- 
ley, and  whose  mother  went  out  washing. 

"  Come  in,  dear/'  said  Mrs.  Duveen,  touching  him 
on  the  shoulder. 

"  You  ain't  paid  the  carriage  man  yet,"  Phil  re- 
minded her. 

"We  never  pay  John;  he  belongs  to  us,  horse  and 
all,"  he  was  informed  by  Dulcie.  Phil  was  fairly  stag- 
gered. He  looked  at  Mrs.  Duveen,  but  Mrs.  Duveen 
only  smiled  at  him.  So  it  was  true;  his  new  aunt 
did  not  seem  the  sort  of  woman  to  smile  when  she 
heard  her  daughter  telling  an  untruth.  It  appeared, 
then,  that  he  had  got  into  the  hands  of  people  who 
could  ride  in  a  carriage  all  day  if  they  liked.  Perhaps 
he  had  not  made  such  a  bad  bargain  after  all. 

A  sudden  suspicion  struck  him,.  He  stopped  Dulcie 
as  she  was  about  to  set  foot  on  the  stone  steps  leading 
to  the  house,  and  pointing  to  the  two  parcel-carriers 
who  were  just  disappearing  in  the  area  door-way,  he 
whispered  hurriedly: 

"  Who  are  those  ladies?  " 

Dulcie  respected  his  confidential  tone,  because  she 
whispered   back: 

"They  aren't  ladies;  the  tall  one  is  Betsy  and  the 
short  one  is  Jane,  and  there's  Mrs.  Isaacs  in  the 
kitchen  doing  the  cooking." 

"And  they  all  belong  to  you?" 

"  Not  to  me,  but  to  mamma ;  and  to  me,  too,  a  little 
bit." 

'  Here,  just  a  minute — do  you  keep  lodgers?'1 

"Lodgers?     What's  that?" 


A  TALE   OF  LONDON  JEWRY  69 

Mrs.  Duveen  had  preceded  them  into  the  hall,  and 
was  watching  the  two  eager  little  faces  with  a  smile  of 
silent  content;  then  she  called: 

"  Come  in,  dearies;  you  can  talk  better  inside." 

Dulcie  scrambled  up,  and  Phil  followed  more  lei- 
surely. At  last  he  was  about  to  enter  the  house  of 
mystery,  and  he  might  as  well  take  his  time  about 
it.  When  he  reached  the  top  step,  he  felt  a  thrill — 
a  thrill  of  joyful  surprise.  There,  against  the  right  of 
the  door-frame,  he  saw  the  tin  capsule  containing  the 
three-lettered  name  of  God,  which  according  to  the 
Mosaic  code  should  figure  on  the  door-post  of  every 
Jewish  home.  He  had  known,  of  course,  all  along 
that  Mrs.  Duveen  was  of  the  same  faith  as  he.  But 
the  sight  of  the  "  Mezuzah,"  was  to  him  a  guarantee 
of  kinship  which  all  her  kindness  had  failed  to  put  into 
his  heart.  However  much  they  had  been  strangers, 
however  much  divided  by  wealth  and  social  stand- 
ing, here  was  the  common  bond  which  neither  of 
them  denied.  For  the  first  time  in  his  life  Phil 
caught  the  meaning  of  the  great  ordinance:  God's 
people  were  to  testify  to  him  thus  publicly,  in  order 
that  by  their  testimony  they  should  make  known  to 
one  another  their  everlasting  brotherhood. 

And  Phil  entered  the  house  of  mystery,  but  his 
fear  did  not  cross  the  threshold  with  him. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Five  minutes  later  Phil  was  in  his  room,  watching 
Jane  open  the  parcels  and  bestow  them  in  wardrobe 
and  cupboard. 

"  You'd  better  be  washing,  sir — they're  waiting  tea 
for  you,"  she  said  after  a  while. 

"  Oh,  yes — of  course,"  stammered  Phil  mean- 
inglessly.  He  took  off  his  coat,  and  went  to  the  wash- 
stand.  In  the  bowl  lay  a  cake  of  soap  smelling  like 
spice  and  looking  like  a  piece  of  sculpture.  What  a 
pity  it  was  to  spoil  it  by  putting  it  into  the  water. 
He  thought  of  the  toilet  arrangements  at  home — the 
pump  clown  in  the  open  court,  with  the  shouting, 
scrambling  crowd  of  boys  and  girls,  each  struggling 
to  get  his  or  her  turn  before  the  other,  and  the  sar- 
castic cries  of: 

"  That's  enough — you  ain't  bought  the  pump,  have 
you?"  or  "  You've  only  got  one  face,  don't  rub  it 
off."  And  in  the  summer,  when  the  water  famine 
was  on,  you  had  to  run  about  the  neighborhood,  and 
beg  for  a  canful  from  people  who  could  afford  to  have 
a  tap  in  their  kitchen;  and  you  didn't  always  get  it, 
because  they  were  short  themselves.  This  was  very 
much  better.  And  Phil  washed  and  washed,  feeling 
that  he  had  to  scour  himself  of  the  accumulated  dirt 
of  ages;  or,  as  Jane  put  it,  in  reporting  on  the  matter 
to  her  mistress  afterwards — 

"  Lawks,,  ma'am,  he  just  went  for  that  soap  and 
water  like  as  he  wasn't  going  to  have  another  sluish 
so  long  as  he  lived." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  71 

He  had  just  finished  touching  up  his  hair  when  Mrs. 
Duveen  entered  to  fetch  him. 

"  In  case  you  didn't  find  your  way,"  she  explained. 

As  Phil  followed  her,  he  thought  the  possibility  of 
that  was  considerable.  Rooms,  rooms  everywhere. 
And  everything  was  so  astonishingly  still.  What  had 
become  of  his  feet?  He  missed  the  familiar  clatter 
they  had  made  on  the  Narrow  Alley  staircase;  and  be- 
sides he  seemed  floating  in  air.  He  was  quite  relieved 
that  it  was  only  the  carpet  which  gave  him  the  un- 
canny feeling.  The  carpet  was  another  thing  to 
which  he  would  have  to  get  used. 

Mrs.  Duveen  opened  a  door,  to  be  met  by  Dulcie's 
rather  sulky: 

'  Well,  you  have  been  a  time,  and  I  want  my  tea 

so:9 

'  But,  my  dear,  I  had  to  see  about  Phil,  hadn't  I  ?  ' 
replied  Mrs.  Duveen. 

'  Of  course,  you  had  to  see  about  Phil." 
Mrs.  Duveen  sat  down  to  the  table,  resolving  to 
look  into  this  matter  later  on.  She  handed  Dulcie 
and  Phil  their  cups.  Phil  took  his  dumbfounded. 
They  called  this  tea.  Why,  it  was  a  school  treat. 
Cake  on  an  ordinary  Friday  afternoon?  Only  once 
every  twelvemonth  his  mother  laid  in  a  reasonable 
supply  of  cake — on  the  New  Year's  Day,  on  which  it 
is  policy  to  eat  sweet  things,  so  that  the  coming  year 
may  be  sweet  and  pleasant  to  you,  How  he  and  Leuw 
had  cut  into  those  slices  of  honey-bread!  Once  Leuw 
even  swallowed  the  bake-paper  that  stuck  to  the  bot- 
tom, and  didn't  feel  hungry  any  more  for  the  rest  of 
the  day.  Phil  felt  a  kind  of  pity  for  the  honey-bread. 
True,  it  had  tried  hard  to  make  him  happy  for  ten 


72 


SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 


minutes  every  year,  but  if  it  only  knew  what  a  poor 
thing  it  was  compared  with.  .  .  . 

"  I  like  Fridays,"  announced  Dulcie  suddenly. 

"  Do  you?"  asked  Phil  absently,  capturing  an  es- 
caped raisin. 

"  Because  I  may  stay  up  longer  in  the  evening." 
Mrs.  Duveen  assumed  an  air  of  reproof. 

"  You  shouldn't  say  that,  Dulcie;  surely  that  is  not 
the  only  reason  why  you  should  love  the  Sabbath 
Eve." 

"  But,  mamma,"  expostulated  Dulcie,  "  I'm  only 
small,  and  I  haven't  got  room  in  me  to  love  it  for 
more  than  one  reason  at  a  time." 

Mrs..  Duveen  did  not  know  whether  to  laugh  or  to 
look  grave;  but  she  was  saved  the  trouble  of  making 
up  her  mind  by  the  opening  of  a  door  and  the  appear- 
ing of  a  big  pleasant-faced  man. 

"  Uncle  Bram,"  shouted  Dulcie  gleefully,  as  she 
romped  up  to  him,  and  dragged  him  into  the  room 
by  both  hands. 

The  big  man  tried  desperately  to  give  himself  the 
most  forbidding  look  and  voice. 

;  Young  lady,  are  you  aware  that  I  haven't  yet  said 
1  good  afternoon  '?  "  he  growled. 

"  O,  never  mind;  you  can  say  it  twice  next  time," 
replied  Dulcie  flippantly;  she  was  used  to  Uncle 
Bram's  playing  at  "  bogy."  Then,  standing  on  tip- 
toe, she  whispered  with  a  jerk  of  her  head  at  Phil: 

"  We've  brought  him." 

"  Come  over  here,  Bram,"  called  Mrs.  Duveen.  "  I 
want  to  introduce  you.  Phil,  deaf,  this  is  my  brother. 
I  hope  you  will  like  him." 

"  Glad  to   know   you,   Master  Phil,"   said  the   big 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  73 

man,  cordially,  stretching  out  his  hand  to  Phil,  who 
grasped  it  clumsily. 

"  Hope  you're  getting  on  all  right,"  replied  Phil, 
according  to  the  formula  of  Narrow  Alley. 

"  First  rate,  my  boy,  first  rate,"  laughed  Uncle 
Bram,  tickled  by  the  queerness  of  it.  Then  he  caught 
his  sister's  look  of  enquiry. 

"  I  don't  see  the  resemblance  you  speak  of,"  he  re- 
plied in  an  undertone,  "  but  otherwise  first  impression 
distinctly  pleasing.  You  know,  at  best  it  was  a  leap 
in  the  dark." 

"  I  don't  think  I've  made  a  mistake,  though,  Bram." 

"  Remains  to  be  seen,  my  dear,  remains  to  be  seen." 

"  What  is  he  to  call  you,  'Uncle  Bram  or  Mr. 
Alexander?"  queried  Dulcie. 

"  If  he's  good,  Uncle  Bram;  if  he  isn't,  he  mustn't 
speak  to  me  at  all.  Do  you  hear  that,  Master  Phil?  " 
threatened  the  big  man  jocularly. 

"  Oh,  I'll  be  good  right  enough;  but  it  isn't  always 
your  fault  when  you're  bad,"  returned  Phil,  facing 
him  firmly. 

Uncle  Bram  looked  a  little  astonished.  "  H'm, 
there's  something  in  that;  I'll  keep  it  in  mind,"  he  said 
finally,  smiling  at  Mrs.  Duveen. 

After  that  Dulcie  monopolized  the  talk.  It  was 
quite  two  days  since  she  had  seen  her  uncle,  and 
there  was  a  whole  budget  of  news:  The  reckless  be- 
havior of  the  kitten  in  slipping  out  on  to  the  pavement, 
the  poor  old  doll  which  would  surely  have  gone  into 
a  decline  if  Jane  hadn't  quickly  patched  up  the  hole 
where  the  sawdust  leaked,  and  so  on. 

Phil  listened  interested  in  spite  of  himself.  It  was 
rather  a  novelty  to  hear  people  make  a  fuss  about 


74 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


trifles  of  that  sort;  in  the  part  of  the  world  where  he 
came  from,  little  girls  chiefly  worried  about  feeling- 
cold  or  hungry,  or  father  being  out  of  work,  or  mother 
in  hospital.  But  he  became  a  little  uncomfortable, 
and  was  sorry  Mrs.  Duveen  had  left  the  room,  when 
Dulcie  went  on  to  her  visit  eastward.  Spitalfields 
might  be  fun  to  her,  but  to  him  it  was  grim  earnest, 
and  he  did  not  want  it  joked  about  However,  Dulcie 
did  not  tread  on  any  of  his  corns,  though  there  seemed 
precious  little  point  about  her  concluding  remark: 

"  He's  got  a  brother,  you  know." 

"  That's  not  very  terrible,"  joked  Uncle  Bram.  "  I 
know  a  lot  of  boys  who  have.  Still,  what  about  his 
brother?     Out  with  it." 

"  Oh — well — oh,  nothing  particular,"  said  Dulcie, 
floundering  hopelessly. 

Mrs.  Duveen  re-entered  the  room.  "  I  think  we 
had  better  have  Service  at  once,  Bram;  I  daresay  Phil 
is  tired,"  she  said. 

"  Just  as  you  please,  my  dear." 

"  Oh,  yes,  let's  have  Service,"  "  said  Dulcie  de- 
lighted. "  You  see,"  she  informed  Phil,  "  Uncle 
Bram  always  says  prayers  with  us  Friday  nights  be- 
cause he's  a — a — what  is  it  you  are,  Uncle  Bram?  ': 

"  Now,  then,  I  won't  have  you  tell  everybody  I'm 
only  a  bachelor." 

"  You  shouldn't  be  one,  if  it's  wrong,"  said  Dulcie 
sternly.  "  And  mamma,  you  know — it's  all  right,  she 
can't  hear;  she's  gone  to  fetch  the  candlesticks — 
mamma  never  goes  to  synagogue,  because  she  can't 
bear  to  see  that  red  ugly  man  sitting  where  papa  used 
to  sit." 

Mrs.  Duveen  returned  with  two  candlesticks  of  mas- 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  75 

sive  silver.  The  sight  of  them  awoke  no  strong  ad- 
miration in  Phil.  His  mother,  too,  had  a  pair  of  Sab- 
bath candlesticks;  true,  the  silver  coat  on  them  was 
a  little  threadbare,  but  a  special  glory  attached  to 
them  in  being  the  only  household  movable  which  had 
never  known  the  defiling  scrutiny  of  the  pawnbroker. 
And  though  Mrs.  Duveen's  might  claim  more 
"  ounces,"  they  could  hardly  pretend  to  be  the  em- 
bodiment of  much  heroic  self-denial.  He  had  to  con- 
fess, however,  that  her  manner  of  kindling  the  Sab- 
bath lights  was  quite  as  impressive  as  his  mother's. 
Of  course,  she  did  not  spread  out  her  hands  over  the 
candles,  and  then  clap  them  to  her  eyes  as  his  mother 
did;  but  she  just  pulled  herself  up  to  her  full  height, 
looking  very  stately,  as  befitted  one  who  was  wel- 
coming in  a  royal  visitor — the  Princess  Sabbath,  as 
the  phrase  of  the  Jewish  poet  goes.  And  the  words 
of  the  benediction  fell  from  her  lips  so  clearly  and  dis- 
tinctly that  even  the  two  flame-tongues  stood  up  steady 
and  erect  as  though  they  knew  what  a  great  honor 
had  been  allotted  to  them.  And  when,  presently, 
Jane  came  in  and  lit  the  three  gas-jets,  there  seemed 
to  be  no  perceptible  increase  in  the  illumination  ol 
the  room. 

Immediately  Jane  had  left  the  room,  Uncle 
Bram  took  on  himself  the  duty  of  Precentor.  His 
rich,  sonorous  voice,  which  somehow  showed  that  he 
had  a  heart  as  well  as  lungs,  fitted  him  for  it  admirably. 
And  there  was  no  scamping;  he  began  from  the  very 
beginning  of  the  Service:  "  Oh,  come,  let  us  exult 
before  the  Lord:  let  us  shout  for  joy  to  the  Rock  of 
our  Salvation,"  he  read.  And  his  congregation  re- 
sponded reverently:  "  Let  us  come  before  His  pres- 


76  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

ence  with  thanksgiving;  let  us  shout  unto  Him  with 
psalms."  And  though  Phil  felt  a  little  out  of  it  when 
they  came  to  the  traditional  chants  which  he  did  not 
know,  he  enjoyed  it  tremendously.  Everything  was 
so  quiet  and  tender  and  full  of  loving  humility.  It  was 
all  so  different  to  the  hubbub  and  gabble-gabble  of  the 
little  prayer-house  which  he  and  Leuw  used  to  at- 
tend, where  everybody  was  shouting  at  the  top  of 
his  voice  as  though  to  compel  God  to  listen  to  him 
rather  than  to  his  neighbor.  Surely,  this  was  a  much 
safer  way  of  sending  one's  prayers  to  their  proper  ad- 
dress. 

And  then  Dulcie  came  in  for  her  turn;  one  could 
see  she  had  been  awaiting  it  eagerly.  Phil  received 
quite  a  shock  to  hear  the  familiar  English  accents 
break  in  on  the  old  Bible  tongue. 

"  And  the  heaven  and  the  earth  were  finished  and 
all  their  host,"  read  Dulcie  with  a  fluency  and  flawless- 
ness  evidently  due  to  considerable  practice.  Phil 
traced  her  every  syllable  with  rapt  attention.  The 
refined  prettiness  of  her  speech  struck  him  forcibly. 
He  became  painfully  conscious  of  his  own  shortcom- 
ings in  that  respect,  and  resolved  to  remedy  them; 
here  he  was  safe  against  Yellow  Joe's  ridicule  at  his 
attempts  to  "  talk  grammar."  A  deep  sense  of  grati- 
tude, of  conciliation,  stole  into  his  heart,  making  it 
very  soft  towards  the  little  fury  as  she  had  appeared 
to  him  dining  the  carriage  incident.  And  when  she 
finished  up: 

"  May  the  service  of  Thy  People,  Israel,  be  ever 
acceptable  unto  Thee,"  he  thought  how  greatly  for- 
bearing he  had  been  in  not  grumbling  with  God  for 
having  refused  to  give  him  a  sister. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  77 

After  that  the  service  soon  came  to  an  end.  It  was 
followed  by  mutual  wishes  for  a  44  Good  Sabbath," 
with  handshakes  and  kissing.  Phil  came  in  for  his 
share  of  the  last  from  Mrs.  Duveen  and  Dulcie.  He 
took  it  quite  easily;  it  seemed  to  him  part  of  God's 
worship. 

"  Dear  me,  I  feel  quite  hungry,"  said  Uncle  Bram, 
recalling  them  to  things  earthly. 

44  Jane  has  laid  supper  in  the  dining-room;  we  can 
start  at  once,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen,  leading  the  way  out 
into  the  room  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  hall. 

4  Why,  there  seems  quite  a  lot  of  us  to-night,"  cried 
Dulcie  as  they  took  their  seats. 

'  Phil,  you  ought  to  feel  flattered  to  know  you  make 
so  much  difference,"  laughed  Uncle  Bram. 

But  Phil  felt  neither  flattered  nor  anything  else. 
His  capacity  for  wonderment  had  been  strained  to  its 
utmost  pitch  to-day,  and  now  refused  to  act  any 
further.  He  had  become  callous — one  might  almost 
say  blase.  And  so  he  took  everything  in  matter-of- 
fact  style,  the  glittering  table  accoutrement,  the  plen- 
tiful supper,  the  serviette,  which  last  seemed  to  him 
a  purposeless  waste  when  people  had  coat  sleeves. 
Of  course  he  mixed  up  everything,  used  the  meat 
fork  for  the  fish,  and  scooped  up  the  gravy  with  the 
pudding-spoon.  Dulcie,  horrified  at  these  atrocities, 
looked  at  her  mother  for  permission  to  interfere; 
Mrs.  Duveen,  however,  firmly  signaled  an  injunction 
to  silence. 

"  Wants  licking  into  shape,"  whispered  Uncle  Bram 
to  his  sister. 

"  Of  course  he  does;  knowing  where  he  comes  from, 
did  you  expect  to  find  him  ready-made?"  smiled  Mrs. 
Duveen,  with  equal  caution  of  tone. 


yg  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

So  the  supper  passed  off  without  any  contretemps, 
if  one  is  to  omit  Phil's  upsetting  the  pickle  jar,  which 
made  him  consider  the  advisability  of  offering  to  pay 
for  the  washing  of  the  table-cloth.  And  then  Uncle 
Bram  said  grace,  and  Dulcie  chimed  in  again  at  the 
end  with  a  quaint  little  thanksgiving  of  her  own.  She 
said  it  very  slowly,  with  a  beseeching  look  at  her 
mother.  But  even  that  did  not  keep  off  the  inevitable. 
k  Now,  Dulcie,  half  past  eight,"  said  Airs.  Duveen 
significantly. 

'  Shall  I  ring  for  Betsy?  "  asked  Dulcie  with  touch- 
ing resignation, 

"  No,  I  shall  see  you  to  bed  myself  to-night." 

"  Oh,  mamma !  "  cried  Dulcie,  clapping  her  hands. 
It  was  a  very  unusual  privilege. 

"  Bram,  you  will  look  after  Phil  for  a  little  while." 

Then  Dulcie  said  good  night,  and  followed  her 
mother  out. 

She  found  the  latter  strangely  silent  all  the  way  up 
to  the  bedroom. 

"  What  are  you  thinking  of,  mother?  "  she  asked, 
when  there. 

"  I  am  very  sorry,  Dulcie,  but  I  have  to  scold  you." 

"  Scold  me,  mamma?  Why,  what  about?"  The 
little  mouth  quivered. 

"  You  spoke  rather  crossly  to  me  before." 

"  Crossly,  mamma?  When?"  The  wide  open  eves 
filled. 

'  When  I  fetched  Phil  down  from  his  room.  I  don't 
mind  so  much  being  hurt  myself,  but  it  must  have 
made  him  feel  very  uncomfortable.  I  only  want  to 
tell  you  to  be  more  careful  in  future." 

Dulcie's  chest  heaved  pitifully  once  or  twice,  and 
then  came  the  torrent  of  tears  and  words. 


A  TALE   OF  LONDON  JEWRY  79 

"  Oh,  mamma,  I  knew  it  was  wrong  at  the  time, 
and  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  beg  your  pardon, 
and  I  forgot  because  I  was  enjoying  myself  so  much. 
But  I  was  sitting  by  myself,  and  all  at  once  I  felt  so 
lonely,  and  I  haven't  anybody  in  the  world  to  love 
me  but  you,  and  now  you  are  beginning  to  get  fond 
of  Phil,  and  I  didn't  know  what  was  going  to  happen, 
and  I  didn't  care  what  I  did  to  myself  or  anybody 
else.  .  .  ." 

The  torrent  of  words  disappeared,  swallowed  up  in 
the  other  torrent,  Mrs.  Duveen  stood  speechless. 
'  I  haven't  any  body  in  the  world  to  love  me  but  you." 
Ah,  that  was  a  plea  which  ought  to  sweep  away  whole 
mountains  of  offense.  How  grossly  unjust  she  had 
been  to  her  child;  she  had  cruelly,  nay,  almost  malici- 
ously, misinterpreted  a  sacred  sentiment  into  an  act 
of  ill-temper.  For  that  she  owed  her  a  great  repa- 
ration. 

'Dulcie!':  and  the  next  moment  mother  and 
daughter  were  in  each  other's  arms,  almost  choking 
back  their  tears  by  the  closeness  of  the  embrace. 

"  And  you  will  never  love  anyone  as  much  as  me, 
mamma?  " 

"  Never,  never,  dearie." 

"Not  half  as  much?" 

"  Not  a  quarter." 

"  And  we'll  both  try  very  hard  to  be  kind  to  Phil, 
won't  we?  " 

And  then,  with  but  little  suasion,  the  dark  curled 
head  was  coaxed  on  to  its  pillow,  and  the  dark  dreamy 
eyes  looked  up  with  a  wonderful  sheen  in  them.  Can 
there  be  a  greater  happiness  than  to  fall  asleep  with 
your  guardian  angel  watching  smilingly  by  your  bed- 
side? 


80  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

Downstairs,  meantime,  the  proceedings  were  of  a 
more  matter-of-fact  nature. 

'  Well,  have  you  made  up  your  mind  what  you  are 
going  to  be?  "  asked  Uncle  Bram  of  Phil,  when  they 
were  alone. 

"  No,  not  yet." 

"  Oh !  Most  boys  your  age  have  some  idea  of  what 
they  would  like  to  be." 

"  There's  a  lot  of  things  I'd  like  to  be.  Only  I'm 
waiting  to  see  what  I'm  most  fit  for." 

"  H'm.  But  what  are  you  going  to  do  while  you're 
waiting?  " 

"  Learn  as  hard  as  I  can." 

"  Study  is  what  you  mean,  I  suppose.  Think  you're 
good  at  it?" 

Phil  paused  a  moment.  "  You'll  fancy  I'm  brag- 
ging-" 

"  Nonsense.     If  you  hide  your  light  under  a  bushel, 

it  may  go  out.     Well?" 

"  I  was  monitor  in  every  class  I  was  in,  and  I  never 
got  less  than  two  prizes  a  year,  and  once  the  Inspector 
patted  me  on  the  head." 

"  That's  a  good  record  certainly.  Still,  education 
doesn't  pay  nowadays.  If  you'll  take  my  advice 
you'll  go  into  business  and  be  rich." 

"  I  don't  want  to  be  rich.  My  brother  Leuw  does. 
I  want  to  learn  Latin  and  pass  examinations.  I've 
always  wanted  to,"  Phil  reiterated  doggedly. 

'  And  suppose  my  sister  refuses  to  send  you  to 
school." 

"  She  mustn't,"  broke  from  Phil ;  u  it's  against  the 
agreement." 

"  What  agreement?" 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  8l 

M  The  one  I  made  before  coming  here.  Ask  her  to 
show  it  to  you/' 

Uncle  Bram  struggled  with  his  laughter.  "  So  you 
made  your  conditions  in  advance?  Well,  I  must  ad- 
mire your  prudence.  Still,  what  if  she  refuses  after 
all?" 

"  Then  I'll  go  back  home." 

"  You  wouldn't  find  the  way,"  quizzed  Uncle  Bram. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  would.  I  noticed  there's  a  'bus  going 
from  the  corner  right  down  to  the  Bank,  and  I'd  run 
behind  it.     I  shall  be  all  right  at  the  Bank." 

"  Under  those  circumstances,"  Uncle  Bram  pre- 
tended to  reflect,  "  we  had  better  see  what  we  can 
do  for  you." 

Phil  silently  tapped  the  floor  with  his  heel;  then  he 
said  bitterly: 

"  I  knew  how  it  would  be.  First  she  spends  all 
those  sovereigns  in  the  shop  this  afternoon,  and  now 
there's  nothing  left  to  pay  the  school  money.  But 
it's  in  the  agreement.'" 

Here  Uncle  Bram  threw  himself  back  in  his  arm- 
chair,  and  unmistakably  guffawed. 

Phil  stared  very  hard  to  see  the  tears  streaming 
down  the  big  man's  cheeks. 

"  Call  yourself  clever,"  gurgled  Uncle  Bram,  "  and 
don't  see  that  it's  all  my — what  d'you  call  it  down 
your  way — my  blarney?" 

"  What's  the  matter,  Bram?"  asked  Mrs.  Duveen, 
entering  suddenly. 

Her  brother  told  the  joke,  and  though  just  a  trifle 
annoyed,  Mrs.  Duveen  could  not  help  smiling. 

"Don't    you    believe    him,"    she    re-assured    Phil; 
"  he's  a  wicked  tease." 
6 


82  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT 

But  Phil  was  satisfied  with  nothing  short  of  a  direct 
statement. 

"  You'll  send  me  to  school,  though — Aunt?  ' 

"  Of  course,  as  much  as  ever  you  like." 

"  In  that  case,"  said  Phil  with  the  air  of  a  con- 
queror, "  I'll  go  to  bed." 

And  he  went,  after  the  usual  formulas.  Jane  ac- 
companied him  as  far  as  his  door,  though  he  would 
much  rather  have  dispensed  with  her  escort.  Now 
that  he  was  going  to  stay  in  this  house  for  some  time, 
the  sooner  he  mastered  its  geography  for  himself  the 
better.  He  disliked  being  shown  things  by  other 
people;  he  far  preferred  finding  them  out  "on  his 
own."  There  was  more  sport  about  it,  and  he  was 
feeling  quite  jaunty  just  now. 

Slowly  he  undressed.  Another  novel  experience 
was  awaiting  him:  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  he  was 
going  to  sleep  alone  in  a  bed.  And  that  brought  his 
mind  to  his  old  bedfellow,  to  Leuw,  who  in  turn  led 
on  to  his  mother.  Did  that  mean  that  he  had  neg- 
lected them  all  the  evening?  No,  he  could  not  re- 
proach himself.  Though  the  last  few  hours  had  been 
full  of  crowding  emotions,  they  had  at  the  bottom  of 
them  a  great  hollow,  an  instinctive  emptiness.  That 
hollow  was  his  longing  for  his  dear  ones;  and  when 
one  comes  to  think  of  it,  the  love  which  is  most  worth 
having  is  that  which  is  the  undertone  of  life  rather 
than  its  melody. 

"  God  bless  mother,  God  bless  Leuw."  He  thought 
the  words,  they  were  too  sacred  for  utterance.  And 
then  came  the  spirit  of  youth,  and  carried  him  on 
Ariel  wings  to  that  most  splendid  of  God's  dwellings 
— the  Palace  of  Dreams. 


CHAPTER  IX 

When  Leuw  awoke  the  following  Monday  morning, 
he  was  not  dismayed  at  the  feeling  of  responsibility 
that  hung  so  heavy  over  him.  He  had  anticipated 
the  feeling,  and  the  responsibility  was  of  his  own  mak- 
ing, and  it  would  have  been  stupid  to  be  afraid  of  any- 
thing but  what  one  cannot  understand.  Nevertheless, 
it  was  with  more  devoutness  than  ever  that  he  fastened 
round  his  arm  and  head  the  phylacteries  without 
which  no  Israelite  above  the  age  of  thirteen  may 
recite  his  morning  prayer.  The  unfamiliar  passages 
from  the  Psalms  and  the  liturgy,  through  which  he  as 
a  rule  had  to  spell  his  way  painfully,  this  morning 
came  smoothly  off  his  tongue;  he  had  finished  when, 
according  to  his  reckoning,  he  ought  only  to  have 
been  half-way.  He  was  pleased;  it  seemed  quite 
natural  that  the  readier  utterance  would  meet  with 
readier  acceptance. 

For  this  was  the  day  whereon  Leuw  Lipcott  had  re- 
solved to  begin  his  struggle  with  the  world.  His  plan 
of  campaign  was  made  up ;  the  sinews  of  war  were  rep- 
resented by  the  two  shillings  and  three  half-pence 
which  he  had  earned  by  his  porter's  work  the  preced- 
ing days.  Had  these  been  his  only  resources,  he 
might  well  have  felt  doubtful  of  the  issue.  But  he 
knew  that  in  addition  he  had  a  vast  and  inexhaustible 
capital,  from  which  he  could  help  himself  whenever 
occasion  demanded.     That  capital  was  himself. 

His  mother  had  been  up  since  quite  early  that  morn- 


* 


84  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

ing.  But  instead  of  betaking  herself  to  Mrs.  Diamond  to 
begin  her  task,  she  fidgeted  about  the  room  in  a  make- 
believe  busy  way,  which  was  only  too  obvious.  Leuw 
wondered  at  it,  but  a  ray  of  intelligence  broke  on  him 
when  he  saw  her  hurry  downstairs  at  the  sound  of  the 
postman's  knock.  Why,  of  course — there  should  be  a 
letter  from  Phil;  Leuw  had  forgotten  that,  had  almost 
forgotten  Phil  himself  in  the  anxious  scheming  and 
dreaming  to  which  he  had  given  up  his  mind  for  the 
past  two  days.  But  he  did  not  feel  sorry  for  it;  the 
sudden  reminder  thus  conveyed  to  him  would  act  as 
an  additional  mnemonic.  It  seemed  to  him  that 
henceforth  every  postman's  knock  would  come  as  a 
greeting  from  his  brother  Phil. 

Phil's  letter  was  short.  To  Leuw's  ears  it  sounded 
as  though  a  weight  of  awe  and  wonder  had  lain  upon 
the  writer,  and  would  not  let  him  speak  out;  but  such 
as  the  letter  was,  it  informed  them  of  his  well-being, 
and  contained  assurances  of  his  undying  affection. 
The  envelope,  however,  contained  something  besides 
Phil's  communication.  Leuw  opened  the  neatly  folded 
little  note,  read  it  and  put  it  in  his  pocket. 

"What  does  he  say  there?"  asked  Mrs.  Lipcott, 
anxiously. 

"  It  ain't  from  him — it's  from  her." 

"Her?" 

"The  little  girl — only  some  silly  rot!  " 

Mrs.  Lipcott  did  not  enquire  further,  first,  because 
if  Leuw  did  not  volunteer  information,  it  was  no  use 
enquiring,  and  secondly,  because  she  knew  as  much  as 
she  wanted  to  know — that  Phil  was  well  and  thinking 
of  her. 

Now  she  could  go  to  her  work. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  85 

"  I  suppose  you  won't  be  doing  anything  particular 
to-day,"  she  hazarded. 

"  I  might — I  might  not,"  was  Leuw's  enigmatic  an- 
swer. 

"  There's  a  bit  of  fish  left  over,  you  know,." 

"  And  you're  going  to  have  it  for  breakfast  pres- 
ently.    It's  time  you  ate  something  since  Friday." 

"  Don't  be  foolish,  Leuw." 

The  wrangle  did  not  last  long;  as  usual  Leuw 
gained  his  point.  But  Mrs.  Lipcott  ate  with  a  strange 
feeling  of  sacrilege;  for  this  hard,  dry  haddock  tail 
seemed  to  her  nothmg  but  the  incarnation  of  her 
child's  love  for  her,  and  love  was  meant  to  be  food 
of  the  soul  and  not  of  the  body. 

Leuw  remained  motionless  for  fully  five  minutes 
after  his  mother's  departure.  He  was  taking  the  earliest 
opportunity  of  thinking  over  the  exact  import  of  what, 
at  the  pinch  of  the  moment,  he  had  styled  "  silly  rot." 
And  presently  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  had 
spoken  very  much  in  haste.  He  took  the  note  from 
his  pocket  to  see  if  he  had  read  it  aright.  Yes,  there 
it  said  plainly: 

'  I'm  sorry  I  made  you  hold  my  hand  the  other  day 
when  you  did  not  want  to.  Your  truly  Dulcie  Du- 
veen." 

It  certainly  did  not  seem  silly  now;  the  silliness  per- 
haps consisted  in  his  letting  the  few  words  give  him 
such  delight  Well,  even  if  it  did,  he  did  not  care. 
It  was  so  pleasant  to  know  that  he  was  being  remem- 
bered, to  know  that  somebody  who  was  not  in  duty 
bound  to  do  so,  as  were  Phil  and  his  mother,  thought 
of  him  when  there  were  many  more  acceptable  things 
to  think  about.     Somehow  it  made  the  world  seem  not 


86  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

so  desolately,  hopelessly  large — it  made  him  feel  a 
good  deal  less  solitary.  And  all  that  he  owed  to  the 
little  note. 

Furtively  he  looked  round  him.  The  gleaming  cop- 
per kettle  blinked  at  him  knowingly.  With  a  defiant 
glance  at  it,  Leuw  pressed  the  scrap  of  paper  to  his 
lips,  and  thrust  it  back  into,  his  pocket.  That's  what 
people  did  in  the  story-books,  and  Leuw  did  not 
always  insist  on  being  his  own  tradition. 

Then  he  got  back  to  his  workaday  mood.  He 
went  to  the  cupboard,  and  from  the  quartern  loaf 
therein  he  cut  four  slices  of  tolerable  thickness,  and 
wrapped  them  in  an  old  sugar-bag.  They  would  be 
enough  to  last  him  till  supper,  which  was  supposed 
to  make  good,  more  or  less,  the  shortcomings  of 
breakfast,  dinner,  and  tea. 

When  Leuw  finally  got  out  into  the  street,  it  seemed 
to  him  that  the  day  had  already  made  considerable 
progress.  A  glance  at  the  nearest  shop  clock,  however, 
told  it  was  only  a  quarter  to  nine.  A  second  glance 
showed  him  Yellow  Joe  bearing  down  on  him  to  the 
detriment  of  everything  that  did  not  happen  to  be  his 
size. 

'  Well,  you  are  good-uns  at  keeping  things  dark," 
he  began. 

"Eh?"  asked  Leuw  nonchalantly. 

'  About  Phil,  you  know,"  was  Joe's  explanation. 

1  Yes,  we  did  keep  it  rather  dark,  didn't  we?"  said 
Leuw  calmly. 

This  frank  admission  of  his  guilt  rather  staggered 
his  accuser;  the  latter,  however,  was  not  inclined  to  let 
Leuw  off  so  easily. 

'  I  know,  too,  why  you  did,"  he  asserted. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  87 

"  Oh,  indeed  ?" 

"  Yes,  indeed.  You  was  afraid  that  if  you  let  out, 
somebody  else  would  try  to  jump  into  Phil's  place." 

"  Take  you  long  to  find  that  out?  v  asked  Leuw 
looking  straight  at  him. 

"  It's  the  truth,  anyhow,"  insisted  Joe,  sheepishly. 

"And  how  d'you  feel  telling  the  truth?" 

"  Now,  then,  cheeky,  mind  yourself,"  threatened 
Joe,  being  stung  by  the  taunt  into  the  sudden  recol- 
lection that  he  was  Leuw's  senior  by  two  years. 

"  I'm  going  to;  don't  you  fret.  Want  to  know  any- 
thing else?  Because  if  you  do,  you'd  better  hurry 
up — haven't  got  any  time." 

"Why,  where  are  you  off  to?"  asked  Joe  inquisi- 
tively. 

:  To  find  some  people  that  don't  poke  their  nose 
into  other  people's  business," 

"  Here,  don't  get  so  chippy  over  it.  What  I  do  is 
nothing  to  what  other  chaps  do,  sneaking  round  to 
worm  things  out  of  you  and  all  that." 

"Whom  d'you  mean?" 

:  This  same  brother  of  your'n.  The  other  day  he 
meets  me  and  asks  if  I  knew  any  swells,  and  I  says 
'  yes/  and  what  they  was  like,  and  I  says,  '  good 
enough  at  a  distance,'  and  all  the  while  he  had  made 
up  his  mind  to  go  and  live  with  'em.  Nice  to  kid  a 
pal  like  that— ain't  it?" 

"What!  Phil  asked  you  about  the  toffs?"  enquired 
Leuw  with  affected  asperity. 

'  He  did,"  replied  Joe,  joyfully,  at  the  thought  that 
he  had  reaped  ample  revenge  in  having  made  a  Caii 
and  Abel  out  of  the  two  brothers;  "he  did;  ask  him 
yourself." 


88  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  Good  luck  to  him,  too;  shows  he's  got  his  wits 
about  him." 

"  Had  again,  by  Jingo,"  growled  Joe,  punching 
himself  violently  in  the  chest.  By  the  time  he  had 
recovered  his  equilibrium,  Leuw  was  walking  off. 
But  that  was  not  how  Yellow  Joe  wanted  the  incident 
to  end. 

"  Hi,"  he  shouted. 

"  What's  up  now?"  asked  Leuw,  looking  back 
crossly. 

"  Oh,  that's  right;  get  into  a  temper  with  a  chap, 
because  he's  going  to  do  you  a  good  turn." 

"  D'you  mean  yourself?     Then  I  beg  your  pardon." 

Joe  had  his  doubts  about  the  sincerity  of  the 
apology,  but  otherwise  he  did  not  let  it  interfere  with 
the  workings  of  his  evil  mind. 

"  Dare  say  you're  looking  out  for  a  job,"  he  said. 

"  I  am." 

"  Now  listen.     Know  Little  Hare  Street?" 

"  Up  Hackney  way?  " 

"  Right.  Number  50.  Man  Sampson  there — 
keeps  tailor's  workshop;  wants  a  boy.  His  foreman 
lives  in  our  place;  that's  how  I  come  to  know  of  it. 
Pound  a  week  to  start  with;  fancy,  pound  a  week!  " 

u  Fancy!'  repeated  Leuw,  seemingly  much  im- 
pressed. 

'  Here's  your  chance.  Tell  the  foreman  I  sent 
you,  and  you'll  be  all  right." 

"  But  why  don't  you  go  for  it  yourself? "  Leuw 
thought  fit  to  object. 

"  Because  I'm  better  off  where  I  am.  Guv'nor 
promised  to  make  me  a  partner  soon  as  I'm  grown 
enough  to  marry  his  daughter," 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  89 

The  reason  seemed  to  convince  Leuw. 

"  S'pose  they're  already  suited  though?'  he  re- 
marked finally. 

"  Can't  be;  they're  not  going  to  advertise  till  to- 
morrow. Shouldn't  advise  you,  though,  to  waste  more 
time  about  it." 

"  Little  Hare  Street,  number  fifty?"  asked  Leuw, 
his  foot  poised  ready  for  the  start. 

"  Fifty  or  fifty-one — you  can't  miss  it." 

"Pound   a  week?" 

"  With  five  shillings  rise  every  year." 

Joe's  heart  leapt  exultantly;  already  he  saw  Leuw 
off  on  his  fool's  errand,  searching  desperately  for  an 
imaginary  workshop  owned  by  a  non-existing  Mr. 
Sampson,  who  wanted  a  fictitious  errand  boy  at  a 
mythical  pound  a  week.  He  pictured  to  himself 
Leuw,  tired  out  with  searching  a  whole  street  and 
heart-sick  with  disappointment,  gradually  awakening 
to  the  crushing  fact  that  he  had  been  ignominiously 
hoaxed.     Oh,  if  he  could  only  be  there  and  see  it  all! 

Yes,  there  he  was  off  at  last,  that  silly  young  Leuw, 
who  thought  himself  so  clever — why,  bother  him,  here 
he  was  coming  back  again;  no  doubt  more  questions — 
and  consequently  more  lies  to  be  manufactured,  grum- 
bled Joe,  who  hated  an  unnecessary  expenditure  of 
energy. 

1  I  almost  forgot,"  said  Leuw  in  an  unfathomable 
sort  of  way. 

"  Forgot  what?" 

"  Why  here  I  was  going  off  without  thanking  you 
kindly." 

'  Oh,  never  mind  about  that;  only  too  pleased  to 
help  an  old  pal." 


go 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT 


"  Well,  I  can  put  you  in  for  a  good  thing,  too." 

"  Can  you?  "  cried  Joe  eagerly. 

Leuw  thrust  his  face  to  Joe's  so  closely  that  their 
noses  almost  touched. 

"  Yes,  the  champion  liar  of  the  world's  dead,  and 
they  want  a  new  one.  For  particulars  apply  to  Num- 
ber fifty,  Little  Hare  Street." 


CHAPTER  X 

Leuw  walked  on,  chuckling  contentedly.  In  his  ears 
still  rang  the  yell  of  disgust  wherewith  Yellow  Joe 
had  fled — nay,  it  was  more  than  flight;  it  was  a  rout, 
a  stampede.  Slight  as  the  incident  was,  it  pleased 
Leuw  out  of  all  proportion.  On  this,  the  most  mo- 
mentous day  of  his  life  so  far  as  it  had  gone,  it  was 
only  natural  that  he  should  try  to  forecast  the  future 
and  construe  even  trivial  things  into  augury  of  good 
or  evil.  He  had  reason  to  be  hopeful.  First  there 
was  that  little  missive  which  had  flooded  his  soul  with 
sunshine.  Then  there  was  Yellow  Joe's  discomfiture. 
Yellow  Joe  represented  to  him  a  malignant  world 
doing  its  worst  to  lay  him  by  the  heels;  well,  it  had 
evidently  come  off  second  best  in  the  attempt.  In 
any  case,  it  impressed  him  strongly  with  the  value 
of  keeping  one's  eyes  open.  Oh!  yes — he  would  keep 
his  eyes  open;  he  had  made  up  his  mind  on  that. 

The  very  next  moment  he  belied  his  resolution  by 
running  full  tilt  against  a  lamp-post.  That  wouldn't 
do  at  all.  The  time  for  dreaming  was  over.  Dream- 
ing was  the  privilege  of  children; 'it  had  never  rightly 
belonged  to  him,  because  he  never  could  remember 
himself  as  a  child.  Perhaps  that  was  a  pity,  now  that 
he  came  to  think  of  it.  Well,  if  it  was,  he  would  feel 
sorry  for  it  some  other  time,  when  he  had  more 
leisure  on  his  hands. 

Quickly  he  crossed  over  Whitechapel  High  Street, 
and  got  into  Brick  Lane,  one  of  East  London's  nar- 


92 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT 


rowest  arteries,  but  one  pulsing  feverishly  with  the 
hard-strained  efforts  of  its  thousands  and  thousands 
of  toilers  in  the  grim  struggle  for  bread.  From  every 
quarter  struck  on  Leuw's  ear  the  maddening  whirr 
of  the  machine-wheel,  the  sickening  thump  of  the 
press-iron,  the  click  of  the  nailer's  hammer.  He 
knew  that  the  average  space  for  each  one  of  the 
workers  was  about  four  feet  square — even  less  than 
would  make  a  decent-sized  grave — and  yet  there  were 
more  and  more  of  them  hurrying  past  him  to  the 
scene  of  their  toil — men,  women,  children,  teeming 
forth  wantonly,  as  though  the  great  city  were  bent 
on  showing  how  much  life  it  could  afford  to  waste. 
Wasted  life  indeed!  There  it  was  visible  in  pale,  wan 
faces,  stoop-shouldered  frames,  and  all  the  other  tok- 
ens of  premature  decay.  That  was  what  the  work- 
shop did  for  them — the  workshop,  that  wholesale  as- 
sassin! It  stunted  their  bodies,  it  blunted  their  souls; 
it  crumbled  their  thoughts,  and  put  that  stony  look 
into  their  eyes. 

Leuw  shuddered.  Thank  God,  that  was  not  going 
to  be  his  lot;  he  thanked  God  for  putting  it  into  his 
mind  to  seek  out  for  himself  a  less  pernicious,  a  less 
deadly  sphere  for  work.  His  workshop,  at  any  rate 
for  the  present,  was  to  be  the  free  open  sky,  the  wide 
spacious  streets,  where  he  need  not  stint  his  body  for 
room  nor  his  lungs  for  breath.  One  day,  when  he 
had  become  rich  and  his  voice  loud  enough  to  be 
heard — he  knew  that  there  was  no  better  sounding 
board  than  money — one  day  he  would  take  this  mat- 
ter into  his  own  hands.  He  would  tell  these  people 
what  he  had  heard  that  tall  black-bearded  gentleman 
say  at  the  last  prize-distribution:  that  there  was  really 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  93 

no  need  for  them  all  to  huddle  together  in  one  place 
like  a  drove  of  frightened  sheep;  that  they  should 
space  out  more  and  not  frantically  crowd  each  other 
dead;  that  they  were  to  get  out  of  the  beaten  groove 
of  their  occupations — there  were  other  things  to  be 
done  in  the  world  besides  the  making  of  coats  and 
boots.  And  above  all  they  were  to  take  note  that 
soap  was  cheap  and  cleanliness  first  cousin  to  godli- 
ness. Leuw  remembered  that  speech,  every  word  of 
it,  simply  because  it  was  not  the  usual  commonplaces 
about  obedience  to  teachers  and  love  for  parents,  but 
because  it  was  meant  to  go  right  home  to  the  parents 
themselves,  and  Leuw  had  enjoyed  hearing  the 
grown-up  people  get  a  scolding  for  once  in  a  way. 
Now,  however,  he  felt  the  truth  of  it  all.  Yes,  as  soon 
as  he  was  rich,  he  would  make  it  his  business.  .  ,  . 

He  pulled  himself  up  angrily;  where  was  the  sense 
of  providing  for  other  people  when  he  himself  needed 
all  his  own  care  and  energy?  Surely  "  charity  begins 
at  home  "  had  often  enough  stared  him  in  the  face  as 
a  copy-book  text.  But  he  had  no  time  to  reproach 
himself.  There,  a  couple  of  yards  further  on  was  his 
destination. 

This  proved  to  be  a  little  shop  receding  modestly 
between  its  neighbors  on  either  hand.  The  frontage 
of  it  was  a  window  divided  into  four  panes  of  solid- 
looking  glass,  each  thickly  puttied  round  the  rim — 
the  whole  presenting  an  aspect  of  premeditated  de- 
fense. And,  indeed,  the  contents  of  this  same  window 
were  all  calculated  to  set  the  marauding  instincts  of 
any  ill-regulated  youngster  on  edge.  Brandy-balls  and 
creams  alternated  in  artistic  confusion  with  shuttle- 
cocks and  woollen  lambs,  stick-jaw  and  almond-rock 


94 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


with  penny  whistles  and  tin  trumpets,  while  higher 
up  gaudy  paper  covers  announced  that  they  contained 
inside  them  instalments  of  the  entrancing  histories  of 
such  evergreen  heroes  as  "Broad  Arrow  Jack"  and 
"  Dick  Turpin  "  or  "  Good  Black  Bess." 

Leuw  paused  a  moment  outside  to  feel  the  two  shil- 
lings and  three  half-pence  reposing  snugly  in  his 
waistcoat  pocket  and  to  adjust  to  his  face  an  expres- 
sion of  unutterable  business-likeness.  Then  he 
stepped  in.  The  shop  was  empty,  but  in  the  tiny  par- 
lor behind  Leuw  could  see  an  old  man  having  his 
breakfast  at  a  table  from  which  he  commanded  a  full 
view  of  his  whole  domain.  At  Leuw's  entrance  he 
leisurely  wiped  his  grizzled  moustache,  rose  somewhat 
stiffly,  and  came  to  the  counter.  His  limping  gait 
with  its  alternate  thud-thud  told  the  tale  of  a  wooden 
leg. 

"Well?"  he  asked,  fixing  Leuw  with  hard,  shrewd 
eyes. 

"  I  want  to  do  business  writh  you — in  the  whole- 
sale," replied  Leuw. 

The  old  man  looked  at  him  more  closely. 

"  How  much  for — thousand  pounds?  '    he  quizzed. 

"  Yes.  I'll  pay  two  shillings  and  three  ha'-pence 
cash,  and  the  rest  you  can  let  me  have  on  credit." 

The  shrewd  look  in  the  man's  eyes  gave  way  to  a 
twinkle  which  gradually  extended  over  his  whole  face ; 
then  he  threw  back  his  head,  and  laughed  till  he  nearly 
fell  over,  and  had  to  sit  down  on  the  stool  behind  the 
counter. 

"  Well,  I'm  blest,"  he  gurgled  at  last. 

Leuw  wratched  his  merriment  with  displeasure. 

"  I  ain't  come  here  to  be  fooled  about,"  he  said 
gruffly. 


M  I    WANT   TO   DO   BUSINESS    WITH    YOU — IN   THE   WHOLESALE." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  95 

"  Who's  fooling  you?"  replied  the  old  man,  now 
quite  serious.  "  I  was  only  alaughin'  at  the  sharp 
way  you  took  me  up.  Thousand  pounds?  Why,  you 
can  buy  up  old  Christopher  Donaldson,  shop,  parlor, 
wooden  leg  and  all  for  a  twenty-pound  note,  and  get 
some  change  out  o'  that." 

"  And  I  didn't  mean  any  harm,  either,"  said  Leuw, 
a  little  ashamed  of  having  given  way  to  temper  so 
easily. 

"  In  that  case,  sonny,  we'll  start  all  over  again,  as 
if  you'd  only  just  come  in.  Good  mornin';  what  can 
I  do  for  you?  " 

"  I'm  going  to  set  up  in  toys,  and  I'll  deal  with  you 
if  you'll  let  me  have  things  cheap." 

"  You're  a  bit  young,  ain't  you?  "  said  Christopher. 

"  Oh,  I'll  grow  out  of  that.  Will  you  let  us  have 
a  penny  article  for  three  farthings?  Mind  you,  I'm 
wholesale." 

'  Do  you  really  mean  it?  "  asked  Christopher,  who 
still  seemed  considerably  puzzled  *by  the  whole  trans- 
action. 

For  answer,  Leuw  took  all  his  available  capital  out 
of  his  pocket,  and  placed  it  on  the  counter;  then  he 
put  his  hands  back  into  his  pockets.  The  four  six- 
pences and  the  three  half-pence  lay  between  him  and 
Christopher  without  the  least  possible  clue  of  deter- 
mining their  ownership. 

'  I  told  you  how  much  I  had,"  said  Leuw,  looking 
full  at  Christopher.  The  latter  appeared  to  be  turn- 
ing something  over  in  his  mind. 

"  Anybody  can  see  you're  a  bit  green  at  the  game," 
he  said  finally. 

"How  d'you  mean?" 


96  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

"  What's  to  prevent  me  making  a  grab  at  this  little 
lot " — he  pointed  to  the  coins — "  and  saying  it's 
mine? " 

'  Nothing,"  replied  Leuw  calmly;  "  but  you  couldn't 
— not  while  I  was  looking  at  you." 

"  Yes,  but  I  shouldn't  advise  you  to  try  that  too 
often." 

"  And  for  another  thing,"  continued  Leuw  with  the 
same  equanimity,  "  seeing  that  I  trust  you,  there's 
more  chance  of  your  trusting  me." 

"  H'm.  You're  a  Hebrew  boy,  ain't  you?"  asked 
Christopher  after  a  little  pause. 

"  And  proud  of  it,"  replied  Leuw,  raising  his  voice 
half  in  defiance. 

Christopher  leaned  forward  and  tapped  him  con- 
fidentially on  the  shoulder. 

"  And  I  don't  blame  you  for  it,  neither,"  he  said. 
."  You  can  show  up  some  grand  men  amongst  you. 
Only  to  mention  some  in  my  real  line — which  same  is 
the  '  thin  red  line  ' — you've  had  Saul  and  David  and 
the  Mickybees  and  Sydney  Mitchell  that  was  the 
finest  of  'em  all." 

"  Sydney  Mitchell?  Never  heard  of  him,"  said 
Leuw  puzzled. 

Christopher  looked  very  cunning.  "  Of  course 
you  wouldn't  have  heard  of  him,  because  he  wasn't 
Sydney  Mitchell  at  all — he  was  Solly  Myers." 

"  Ah!"  exclaimed  Leuw,  beginning  to  understand. 

"  He  told  me  all  about  it  the  night  before  Inker- 
man,"  went  on  Christopher  pensively.  "  You  see, 
me  and  him  was  together  in  the  Seaforth  Highlanders, 
and  he  had  changed  his  name,  because  he  didn't  want 
the  boys  to  ask  him  where  Moses  was  when  the  light 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  97 

went  out;  and  that  same  night  he  had  a  feelin'  as  how 
he  was  booked,  and  he  didn't  want  to  go  to  God  with 
a  lie,  and  so  he  must  let  out  to  somebody." 

"  And  was  he  killed?  "  asked  Leuw  in  an  awe-struck 
whisper. 

'  Killed  dead.  And  I  had  a  good  deal  to  do  with 
it.  There  I  was  layin',  bleedin'  to  death,  with  .my  left 
shank  all  in  splinters,  and  he  says:  'Christopher,  I 
don't  like  to  see  you  gettin'  so  white  about  tlie  gills,' 
and  he  tips  me  on  his  shoulder,  and  the  moment  he 
gets  me  to  hospital,  down  he  flops  stone  dead.  And 
when  they  turns  him  over  there  was  a  five-inch  long 
lance  wound  in  his  side.  That's  what  a  dirty  rascal 
of  a  Cossack  did  for  him  while  he  was  havin'  his  hands 
full  of  me,  and  couldn't  defend  himself.  But  he  didn't 
let  me  drop,  youngster;  he  didn't  let  me  drop,  not 
Sydney  Mitchell.  There's  a  Victoria  Cross  gone  to 
waste,  if  ever  there  was.  If  I  knew  his  address  in 
heaven,  I'd  make  the  War  Office  send  it  on  after  him 
— see  if  I  wouldn't."  And  Christopher  shook  his 
head  threateningly. 

'  Perhaps  it  might  go  through  the  dead-letter 
office,"  suggested  Leuw  flippantly,  in  order  to  battle 
down  the  emotion  which  he  felt  was  beginning  to 
glisten  in  his  eyes. 

Christopher  smiled  sadly,  "  Yes,  that's  what  made 
me  take  to  your  people,"  he  continued;  "  only  you 
seem  more  of  a  sort  with  him  than  any  of  you  I've 
met."  Here  he  reached  out  his  hand — "  Let's  shake 
to  the  blessed  memory  of  Syd  Mitchell,  or  Sol  Myers, 
or  to  whatever  name  he  answers  the  roll-call  up  aloft." 

Leuw  complied,  not  a  little  surprised  at  the  turn 
the  conversation  had  taken;  but  even  stronger  than 
7 


98  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

his  surprise  was  his  pleasure  at  the  compliment  old 
Christopher  had  paid  him. 

"What  makes  you  think  I'm  like  him?"  he  asked. 

"  I  don't  know  what,  and  I  don't  care  what,  but  you 
can  take  your  Davy  on  it  that  it's  the  nicest  thing 
anybody's  ever  said  to  you.  And  for  fear  you  should 
get  conceited,  we'll  just  quit  the  subject  and  come  to 
business." 

"  Nothing  I'd  like   better,"   said   Leuw. 

"  Now  you  want  these  penny  articles  at  three  far- 
things; I'll  let  you  have  'em  at  that,  because  I'm  my 
own  manufacturer,  which  the  cost  price  of  'em  is  a 
ha'-penny;  that  just  leaves  a  farthing  profit  for  each 
of  us,  don't  it?  " 

"  That'll  be  fifty  per  cent  for  you  and  thirty-three 
for  me,"  calculated  Leuw. 

"  Well,  if  you  think  that  sounds  more,  have  it  that 
way.  Now,  you  just  pick  out  the  things  you  want. 
And  while  you're  doing  it,  I'll  look  round  in  my  lum- 
ber room  for  the  tray  I  used  to  wear,  before  I'd  saved 
up  enough  money  to  start  this  'ere  shop  with.  Come 
round  this  side  of  the  counter  if  you  like.  Wait  till 
I  get  out  of  it  though;  this  stump  of  mine  doesn't 
always  go  the  way  I  want  it  to/' 

As  Leuw  watched  him  hobble  back  into  the  parlor, 
he  thought  it  a  fine  opportunity  to  turn  the  tables 
on  old  Christopher. 

"  I  say,"  he  called  after  him.  Christopher  stopped 
and  poked  his  head  out  from  inside. 

"  What's  to  prevent  me  filling  my  pockets  and  be- 
ing off  before  you  know  where  you  are?  ' 

"  Nothing,  except  that  you  know  that  I  trust  you," 
replied  Christopher. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  99 

For  a  moment  or  two  they  looked  very  seriously  at 
each  other,  and  then  they  burst  out  laughing;  and 
from  the  sound  of  their  laughter  an  uninitiated  listener 
would  have  fancied  that  they  had  known  each  other 
at  least  for  a  lifetime. 

When  Christopher  returned,  he  brought  with  him 
a  square  green-painted  board  to  which  was  attached 
an  arrangement  of  shoulder  straps. 

"  Here's  your  shop,"  he  said.  "  I'm  not  going  to 
charge  you  any  rent  for  it  neither." 

1  I'm  very  much  obliged  to  you,  I'm  sure,"  said 
Leuw,  who  had  only  just  come  to  see  from  what  a 
difficulty  Christopher's  loan  relieved  him. 

'  Is  this  what  you've  picked  out?  "  said  Christopher, 
looking  at  Leuw's  selection  of  toy  pistols,  pea- 
shooters, and  mouth-organs.  "  Well,  let  me  put  them 
on.     I  know  my  way  about  it  better  than  you." 

But  even  with  Christopher's  practiced  manipulation 
the  portable  bazaar  could  not  be  made  to  accommo- 
date more  than  twenty-eight  articles,. 

'  Here's  your  change,"  said  Christopher,  handing 
him  five  pence. 

"  Half-penny  too  much,"  said  Leuw  counting. 

"  Oh,  no.  That's  a  half-penny  discount  for  ready 
cash." 

'  Quite  right.  I  ought  to  have  asked  for  it  my- 
self," said  Leuw,  viewing  the  matter  from  a  strictly 
commercial  aspect.  "  I'll  be  off  now.  So  long.  See 
you  later  on." 

"  Here,  wait  a  bit,"  cried  Christopher;  and  stooping, 
he  pulled  out  an  old  horseshoe;  "just  grab  hold  of 
that — for  luck."  Half  laughing,  Leuw  reached  out 
his  hand;  then  he  pulled  it  back  with  a  sudden  thought. 


100  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

"  I — I'd  rather  not,"  he  said,  looking  frankly  at 
Christopher. 

"  Why  not?     It's  clean  enough." 

"  It  isn't  that.  I  don't  think  our  God  would  like  it; 
it  would  almost  be  like  worshiping  the  idols." 

Christopher's  arm  drooped  slowly,  and  presently  the 
horseshoe  fell  to  the  floor  with  a  dull  clang;  then  he 
thumped  the  counter  with  his  fist. 

"  You'll  do,  my  boy,"  he  exclaimed,  "  By  Jingo, 
you'll  do." 

Leuw  nodded  vaguely  and  walked  out,  wondering 
what  there  was  in  what  he  had  said  to  make  his  new 
friend  so  emphatic  in  his  commendation.  But  his 
wonder  did  not  interfere  much  with  his  full  conscious- 
ness of  the  epoch-making  nature  of  his  errand.  Now, 
indeed,  he  had  started  in  real  earnest;  he  had  hung 
out  his  sign,  and  was  making  his  bid  to  the  general 
public,  or,  at  least,  to  that  unsophisticated  section  of 
it  which  still  thought  the  proper  occupation  of  man- 
kind was  play. 

He  considered;  it  was  only  ten.  That  would  leave 
him  two  hours  to  choose  a  good  pitch.  A  good  pitch 
was  the  main  thing.  Schools  abounded  within  easy 
walking  distance  of  where  he  was;  but  he  would  have 
to  find  one  which  was  not  provided  with  its  own 
particular  tuck  and  toy  shop  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood. He  knew  how  conservative  children  were. 
So  he  searched  patiently,  with  the  happy  result  which 
is  a  proverbial  reward  of  patience,.  The  school  in 
question  turned  out  to  be  a  foundation  school,  much 
to  Leuw's  satisfaction,  because  its  population  was 
likely  to  be  endowed  with  more  available  cash  for 
luxuries  than  that  of  a  mere  Board  School.     It  was 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  101 

now  within  a  few  minutes  of  noon,  and  Leuw  planted 
himself  firmly   against   the   railing   opposite,  because 
he  knew  what  was  coming.     Then  a  bell  shrilled  in- 
side, and  the  sound  of  it  was  followed  by  a  vague  con- 
fused noise  as  of  thunder  gathering  in  the  distance; 
presently    the    doors    opened,    and    an    avalanche    of 
tumultuous  young  vitality  flung  itself  out,  overswept 
the  street,  and  surged  on  in  a  compact  mass  for  a  yard 
or  two  before  scattering  into  its  yelling  components. 
"  Penny    each — any    article    you    like/'     sang    out 
Leuw.     For  the  first  time  in  his  life  he  regretted  pos- 
sessing an  alto  instead  of  a  treble,  which  would  have 
more   chance  of  piercing  the   din.     But   such  as   his 
voice  was,  it  succeeded  in  attracting  immediate  atten- 
tion.    Once  more  the  old  economic  truth  that  a  sup- 
ply creates  a  demand  was  brilliantly  vindicated.     The 
penny  which  was  intended  for  a  feast  of  toffee-apples 
felt  that  it  could  not  achieve  a  higher  purpose  than  to 
convert  itself  into  a  mouth-organ.     Besides,  the  "  any 
article  you  like  "  sounded  wonderfully  seductive,  sug- 
gesting, as  it  did,  to  the  would-be  purchasers  an  op- 
portunity of  choosing  among  all  the  products  of  the 
world.     In  addition,  the  youth  of  the  merchant  was 
a  sure  guarantee  that  they  were  not  being  cheated, 
which  was  more  than  they  could  expect  in  dealing 
with  men  of  adult  wickedness. 

And  so  it  was  that  within  ten  minutes  from  com- 
mencing actual  business,  Leuw  was  clean  "  sold  out," 
and  what  was  more,  he  could  have  disposed  of  twice 
as  much,  for  the  contagion  had  spread  extensively. 

"  All  right,  gentlemen,  I'll  be  here  again  when  you 
come  back,"  he  consoled  the  disappointed  ones.  And 
he  hurried  off,  gleefully  chinking  the  pennies  in  his 


102  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

pocket.  The  "  gentlemen  "  he  thought  a  particularly 
happy  touch. 

Old  Christopher  opened  his  eyes  wide  when  he  saw 
the  empty  tray. 

"  What,  been  robbed,  or  given  them  away? '  he 
asked  solicitously. 

"  Neither,''  replied  Leuw,  and  out  came  the  pennies, 
and  with  them  the  story  of  how  they  had  been  ac- 
quired. Christopher  listened  in  silence,  and  then 
startled  Leuw  by  calling  himself  a  bad  name. 

"  Strike  me  lucky,  kiddy,"  he  went  on,  "  but  you're 
worth  a  dozen  old  'uns.  Now  what  did  I  do?  I 
stumped  about  the  City  and  such  like  grown-up  places 
where  I  wasn't  wanted,  waiting  for  a  stray  customer  to 
come  up,  and  waitin'  a  jolly  long  time  very  often. 
But  you?  You  go  hittin'  the  nail  on  the  head  right 
away  and — well,  all  I  can  say  is,  you'll  do,  my  boy — 
you'll  do." 

Meanwhile  Leuw  had  been  replenishing  his  stock, 
and  started  out  again  in  high  spirits.  He  got  back 
to  his  pitch  a  good  ten  minutes  before  the  recom- 
mencing of  school.  But  a  sore  disappointment 
awaited  him.  This  time  there  was  no  run  on  his 
goods;  a  reaction  seemed  to  have  set  in.  Leuw's  cry: 
"  Penny  each — any  article  you  like,"  fell  on  unheed- 
ing ears.  Those  who  felt  some  inclination  to  pur- 
chase were  held  back  by  the  thought  that  they  would 
be  able  to  obtain  these  penny  articles — slightly  dam- 
aged perhaps — for  next  to  nothing  when,  in  a  day  or 
two,  their  present  owners  would  have  become  sur- 
feited with  the  joy  of  possession. 

Despondently  he  turned  away  as  the  burly  school 
porter  came  out  to  shut  the  main  entrance.     The  tray 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  103 

in  front  of  him  had  suddenly  become  quite  heavy,  and 
was  dragging  his  head  low  down  on  his  chest.  But 
presently  he  drew  himself  up  with  such  a  jerk  that 
the  toy  pistols  and  mouth-organs  began  to  play  at  leap- 
frog. Where  was  his  common  sense  that  he  should 
allow  himself  to  become  miserable  over  a  trivial  little 
incident  like  this?  If  he  were  to  score  success  after 
success,  he  wrould  be  a  millionaire  before  he  knew 
what  real  honest  work  was;  and  there  wouldn't  be  any 
fun  in  that.  Indeed,  his  signal  failure,  following  so 
closely  upon  his  signal  good  fortune,  was  nothing 
but  a  timely  warning  of  Providence  that  the  worst 
error  a  man  can  fall  into  is  to  expect  that  things  will 
go  his  way  and  to  forget  that  there  are  ever  so  many 
people  trying  to  make  them  go  theirs.  He  would 
store  that  warning  up  in  his  heart,  and  thank  Provi- 
dence doubly  for  not  making  him  the  victim  of  a  mis- 
taken kindness. 

Having  thus  regained  his  equanimity,  it  struck  him 
all  at  once  that  he  was  hungry.  That  could  be  easily 
remedied.  He  wondered  what  sort  of  a  dinner  Phil 
was  having.  If  Phil  had  a  better  dinner,  Leuw  had 
a  better  appetite;  so  they  were  quits.  A  neighboring 
cheese-shop  tempted  him  in  vain,  not  from  stinginess, 
but  because  the  knowledge  that  he  could  indulge  him- 
self served  for  the  indulgence  itself.  A  drink  of  watei 
from  the  fountain  down  the  next  street,  and  he  was 
ready  once  more  against  all  odds. 

He  made  his  way  towards  Victoria  Park  where  he 
knew — it  would  be  hardly  fair  to  tell  whether  from 
personal  experience  or  not — the  truants  from  the  East 
End  schools  were  wont  to  foregather.  He  was  fairly 
lucky  at  the   set-off,   disposing  of  four  articles  to   a 


io4 


SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 


quartet  of  sinners,  who  were  loyally  helping  one  of 
their  number  to  squander  the  savings  of  months  in  one 
riotous,  reckless  holiday.  After  that  came  on  a  lull, 
but  Leuw  had  resolved  to  effect  a  clearance  sale,  and 
somehow  the  resolve  seemed  to  guarantee  the  result. 
So  it  did,  with  the  additional  advantage  that,  by  thai 
time,  Leuw  was  convinced  he  would  not  become  a 
millionaire  as  prematurely  as  he  had  feared.  He 
showed  it  pretty  plainly  when,  about  seven  o'clock, 
he  staggered  into  Christopher's  shop  to  return  the 
empty  tray. 

"  Not  quite  found  your  street  legs  yet,  eh, 
youngster?  I  was  luckier  than  you;  you  see  I  only 
had  to  find  one  leg."  And  Christopher  chuckled  at 
his  own  grim  jest. 

Leuw  made  no  answer,  but  leant  heavily  against  the 
counter. 

"What,  as  bad  as  all  that?"  said  Christopher 
alarmed,  raising  the  counter  flap  and  pulling  him 
through.  "  Here,  come  into  the  parlor,  and  I'll  make 
you  a  cup  of  tea  in  two  twos — a  good  strong  cup. 
You  must  be  more  careful  next  time.  You'll  do,  but 
you  mustn't  overdo." 

Leuw  followed  him  listlessly,  and  allowed  himself 
to  be  set  down  in  the  wooden  arm-chair.  Christopher 
nimbly  filled  the  kettle,  placed  it  on  the  spirit  lamp, 
and  stood  watching  it,  with  occasional  glances  at 
Leuw;  he,  however,  kept  a  persistent  silence,  as 
though  he  were  afraid  that,  if  he  talked,  the  water 
would  stop  to  listen  instead  of  hurrying  on  to  boiling 
point.  It  was  not  till  he  had  emptied  his  cup  to  the 
bottom,  and  was  taking  his  second  that  Leuw  found 
strength  to  utter  a  word. 


A  TALE   OF  LONDON  JEWRY  105 

"It  was  stupid  of  me,  wasn't  it?"  he  said  smiling 
shamefacedly, 

"  I  wouldn't  call  it  such  a  hard  word  as  that,"  com- 
promised Christopher.  "  That  sort  of  thing  happens 
to  the  best  of  us." 

"Did  it  ever  happen  to  Sol  Myers?"  asked  Leuw. 

"  Bless  you,  yes;  twice  to  my  recollectio-n  he  had  to 
fall  out  and  get  into  the  ambulance,  and  your  mus- 
cles are  just  pap  to  what  his  were.  Once  it  was  be- 
cause he  wouldn't  have  any  supper  the  night  before 
and  no  breakfast  in  the  morning,  and  we  were  march- 
ing at  the  rate  of  three  and  a  half  miles  an  hour  on  to 
Balaklava,  and  all  the  nurses  put  together  couldn't 
wheedle  him  into  touching  a  drop  or  a  morsel  before 
nightfall.     I've  often  wondered  at  it." 

'What  time  of  the  year  was  it?"  asked  Leuw 
breathlessly. 

"  O,  as  far  as  I  remember,  somewhere  about  late 
autumn." 

Then  I  can  tell  you  why,"  said  Leuw  with  shining 
eyes. 

"  O,  can  you?"  was  Christopher's  eager  question. 

'  He  was  keeping  the  White  Fast — the  Day  of 
Atonement,  you  know,  when  the  Jews  all  over  the 
world  fast  and  pray  to  have  their  sins  forgiven.  Fancy, 
and  Sol  Myers  didn't  forget  the  White  Fast!  " 

"Didn't  I  tell  you  he  was  a  grand  man?"  said 
Christopher  brimming  over  with  enthusiasm.  "  I'm 
sure  the  reason  he  was  called  away  so  early  was  that 
God  wanted  him  in  His  body-guard." 

Leuw  pondered  over  the  remark,  but  the  speaker's 
manifest  sincerity  redeemed  it  from  the  charge  of 
irreverence.     Then  he  got  up. 


106  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

"I  ought  to  be  going  now;  how  much?' 

"How  much?     What  for?"  asked  Christopher. 

"  The  tea,  of  course." 

Old  Christopher  set  his  lips  tight  till  his  moustache 
positively  bristled.  At  the  same  time  he  breathed  like 
a  choking  grampus. 

"  Well,  of  all  the  impudence  that  ever  took  tea  in 
another  man's  house,"  he  exploded  finally.  But  he 
quickly  checked  himself  when  he  saw  Leuw's  look  of 
terrified  amazement. 

"There,  there,  don't  get  so  scared  about  it;  it  was 
only  my  fun,"  and  he  stroked  Leuw's  head  with  a 
hand  that  was  as  light  as  a  feather. 

"  I  didn't  know  how  to  take  it,"  quavered  Leuw. 

"  Take  it  that  you've  got  the  good  heart  and  I  the 
bad  manners;  but  you'll  know  next  time,  eh?':  There 
was  some  little  anxiety  in  Christopher's  voice. 

Leuw  was  quick  to  notice  it  and  to  surmise  its 
cause. 

"  The  next  time  and  every  time  after.  I  say,  have 
you  any  chil — I  mean  have  you  anybody  living  with 
you  here? " 

"  Nobody  of  my  own,  if  that's  what  you  want  to 
know.     Never  had." 

Leuw  nodded;  so  he  was  right  in  his  conjecture. 

"  I'll  be  coming  in  to-morrow  morning,"  he  said. 
"  Good  night." 

"  Good  night;  God  bless  you,"  replied  Christopher, 
seeing  him  to  the  door. 

And   Leuw  walked  away  with  a  feeling  that,  like 

,  Phil,  he,  too,  had  been  adopted.     This  was  the  longest 

day  he  had  yet  lived  through.     The  morning  of  it  lay 

somewhere  away  in  the  dim  past;  the  evening  of  it  was 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  107 

a  distinct  stride  into  the  future.  He  knew  the  length 
of  that  stride;  it  measured  exactly  one  shilling  and 
three  pence — a  farthing  on  fifty-six  articles  sold  and 
a  penny  discount  on  the  two  lots.  But  the  actual 
profit — and  it  was  good,  considering  the  outlay — was 
not  the.  main  point.  He  had  set  up  for  himself  a 
record;  all  he  had  to  do  in  order  to  attain  what  he 
aimed  at,  was  to  go  on  breaking  it.  He  ought  to  earn 
that  week — counting  Friday  as  a  half-day,  because 
the  Sabbath  set  in  early — somewhere  about  seven  shil- 
lings. He  might  earn  that  as  an  apprentice,  and  the 
work  would  be  easier.  But  he  had  intended  no  idle 
boast  when  he  told  Phil:  "  Leuw  Lipcott  and  no 
Co, ; '  nor  was  it  a  mere  motto  of  selfishness.  He 
wanted  his  toil  and  the  fruits  of  it  for  himself;  his  hun- 
gering, his  weariness  were  to  be  in  his  own  service. 
He  wanted  to  be  free,  because  freedom  means  self- 
respect,  and  self-respect  means  strength,  and  strength 
means  victory. 

His  mother  had  come  home  before  him;  he  was  glad 
the  lamp  was  burning  so  dimly,  because  he  still  felt 
rather  white. 

"  Hullo,  mother,  had  a  hard  job  to-day?  "  he  ac- 
costed her. 

'  Not  very;  I  really  believe  she  only  asked  me 
round  to  tell  me  what  a  great  thing  she  had  done  for 
me;  but  she  paid  all  right." 

"  I  suppose  she  can  do  what  she  likes  for  her  money. 
And  that  reminds  me." 

"  Reminds  you  of  what?  " 

"  That  from  to-day  you  are  to  consider  yourself  my 
landlady." 

"Why,  Leuw,  what  do  you  mean?" 


108  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT 

"  Only  that  I  start  paying  for  my  board  and  lodg- 
ing." 

Mrs.  Lipcott's  incredulous  smile  turned  to  some- 
thing quite  different  as  Leuw  told  the  day's  history; 
and  her  hands,  into  which  the  borax  had  eaten  sores, 
suddenly  left  off  smarting. 

"  Leuw,  why  are  you  so  good  to  me?"  she  asked  at 
the    end. 

"  Because  Phil  isn't  here,  and  I've  got  to  be  good  to 
you  for  the  two  of  us," 

Leuw  was  very  tired,  but  he  dared  not  fall  asleep 
before  he  had  given  five  minutes  of  pious  thought  to 
Solly  Myers,  to  whom  he  owed  his  friendship  with 
Christopher,  and  who  was  keeping  the  long  White 
Fast  under  the  Crimean  snows. 


CHAPTER  XI 

Mr.  Alexander,  or  rather  Uncle  Bram — he  was  one 
of  those  men  whom  people  are, inclined  to  call  uncle 
on  the  slightest  provocation — took  an  early  oppor- 
tunity of  submitting  Phil's  name  for  admission  to  the 
big  Metropolitan  Public  School,  which  he  himself  had 
attended  till  entering  his  late  father's  stock-broking 
office.  With  undisguised  satisfaction  Phil  received 
the  tidings  that  he  was  to  hold  himself  ready  for  the 
preliminary  test,  on  which  he  was  to  be  assigned  his 
class,  in  three  weeks  from  date.  It  seemed  jolly — ■ 
an  examination  right  to  begin  with!  They  evidently 
meant  business  at  that  school. 

And  now  that  this  important  point  had  been  set- 
tled, there  was  no  obstacle  to  putting  into  effect  Mrs. 
Duveen's  hint  to  Phil's  mother — the  visit  to  the  sea- 
side. It  was  nearly  two  years  since  Mr.  Duveen's 
death.  When  the  first  summer  season  came  round, 
she  had,  despite  the  urgings  of  Uncle  Bram  and  all 
her  friends,  refused  to  indulge  in  anything  which 
might  be  construed  into  gratification  of  self;  that  was 
the  least  she  owed  to  the  memory  of  the  departed. 
This  summer  she  had  given  room  to  the  intention, 
but  had  put  it  off  far  into  the  season,  with  the  vague 
idea  of  avoiding  the  months  during  which  her  hus- 
band had  defied  the  calls  of  the  city,  and  had  given 
her  his  company.  Now,  however,  there  was  no  further 
excuse.  She  owed  the  holiday  to  her  little  daughter 
and — she  hardly  dared  acknowledge  it  to  herself — 
her  son's  substitute, 


HO  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

Mrs.  Duveen,  in  announcing  the  fact  to  Mrs.  Lip- 
cott,  asked  whether  the  latter  preferred  coming  to 
St.  John's  Wood — with  Leuw  of  course — to  say  good- 
by  to  Phil,  or  whether  she  herself  was  to  bring  Phil 
down  to  Narrow  Alley.  Mrs.  Lipcott  wrote  in  reply 
that  she  did  not  think  either  necessary,  and  that  she 
hoped  they  would  all  enjoy  themselves  very  much. 
Phil  was  not  hurt;  he  understood.  There  had  been 
enough  heart-break  in  one  leave-taking;  why  repeat 
the  agony? 

As  for  Leuw,  he  just  scribbled: 

"No  time;  got  to  be  out  all  day."  From  which 
Phil  inferred  that  Leuw  had  carried  his  threat  into 
execution,  and  was  fighting  the  world. 

"  Hope  he'll  win — hope  he'll  win,"  he  kept  mutter- 
ing to  himself,  till  Dulcie's  astonished  gaze  con- 
founded him  into  a  full  stop. 

But  Phil  was  not  destined  to  go  before  seeing  at 
least  one  old  acquaintance.  It  was  the  morning  fixed 
for  their  departure,  when,  half  an  hour  before  the  car- 
riage was  appointed  to  take  them  to  the  station,  Jane 
announced  a  visitor. 

"A  lady?"  asked  Mrs.  Duveen  rather  uneasily. 
She  did  not  want  to  be  delayed. 

"  That's  why  I  said  somebody,  ma'am,"  replied  Jane; 
"  I  don't  know  if  she's  a  woman  or  a  lady;  but  she 
talks  rather  loud,  and  I  said  we  were  going  off  di- 
rectly." 

"Have  you  asked  her  name?" 

"  She  wouldn't  tell  me ;  she  didn't  think  you  knew 
her." 

'  Well,  show  her  in,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen  resignedly. 

A  second  or  two  later  and  through  the  open  door 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  m 

in  walked  nobody  less  than  Mrs.  Diamond,  clothed 
in  the  pick  of  her  wardrobe  and  a  halo  of  paste  jew- 
elry. She  paused  for  a  moment  as  though  to  gather 
impetus,  and  then,  spreading  out  her  arms,  she 
swooped  down  like  some  ungainly  bird  on  poor  aston- 
ished Phil,  and  caught  him  in  a  rapturous  embrace. 

"  Oh!  you  sweet  pet,  oh!  you  little  dear,  aren't  you 
glad  to  see  me?  "  she  bubbled. 

"  Lemme  go,  Mrs.  Diamond,"  gasped  Phil,  "  you're 
crushing  my  collar." 

His  matter-of-fact  reply  seemed  to  reduce  Mrs. 
Diamond  to  a  more  normal  state  of  mind.  She  turned 
effusively  to  Mrs.  Duveen,  who  had  listened  and 
looked  in  manifest  surprise. 

"  I  hope  you  don't  mind  me,  Mrs.  Duveen,  but  you 
know  what  it's  like  when  your  feelings  get  the  better 
of  you,  and  Til  just  explain.  .  .  ." 

"  I  am  afraid  I  haven't  very  much  time  now,"  inter- 
rupted Mrs.  Duveen  gently. 

;  Yes,  I  know  you're  on  the  jump  to  be  off — you 
know  what  I  mean — but  I'll  only  keep  you  a  tick  or 
two,"  went  on  Mrs.  Diamond,  loosening  her  bonnet 
strings  and  plumping  down  in  the  nearest  chair. 

*  Now,  of  course,  in  the  first  place  I  must  tell  you 
who  I  am,  which  is  Mrs.  Diamond,  Mrs.  Lazarus 
Diamond,  and  my  mother — God  bless  her  soul — was 
cook  to  the  old  Rabbi  Aaron — God  rest  his  soul — and 
he  always  used  to  say  to  her,  '  Esther,'  he  used  to  say 
— but  I  must  tell  you  about  that  another  time,  you 
understand  what  I  mean.  Now,  for  years  and  years 
I  have  always  taken  an  interest  in  the  Lipcotts,  haven't 
I,  Phil?" 

'  I  s'pose  so,"  said  Phil,  pulling  his  ruffled  clothes 
straight. 


112  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

"  See?  "  cried  Mrs.  Diamond,  turning  his  grudging 
admission  into  a  full  corroboration.  "■  I'm  not  telling 
you  any  lies,  God  forbid;  and,  of  course,  you  know 
that  but  for  me  you  would  never  have  got  hold  of 
Phil." 

"  No,  I  don't  know,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen,  astonished. 

"What!  you  don't  know?  And  I  thought  Mrs. 
Lipcott  had  told  you  all  about  it,"  said  Mrs.  Diamond, 
who  knew  perfectly  well  that  Mrs.  Lipcott  hadn't, 
because  she  had  questioned  her  on  the  subject  that 
very  morning.  "  Well,  if  it's  anything  I  hate,  it's  to 
blow  my  own  trumpet,  but  it's  only  fair  to  you  that 
you  should  know  the  truth  of  the  matter,  in  case 
somebody  else  should  try  to  get  something  out  of  you 
on  the  strength  of  it — you  understand  what  I  mean." 

And  then  Mrs.  Diamond  related  for  the  fifty-second 
time  the  history  of  the  Board  of  Guardians'  letter 
which  had  wrought  such  epoch-making  changes  in  the 
Lipcott  household. 

"  And,  of  course,"  she  concluded,  "  knowing  that 
it's  all  my  doing,  I  couldn't  rest  till  I'd  come  and  seen 
with  my  own  eyes  that  dear  little  Phil  was  happy  and 
well  taken  care  of  and  all  that  sort  of  thing — you  un- 
understand  what  I  mean." 

"  I  understand,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen  stiffly,  "  but  you 
might  have  guessed  it." 

"  Certainly,  certainly,"  admitted  Mrs.  Diamond, 
quick  to  see  that  she  had  made  a  mistake,  "  but  when 
it's  a  case  where  the  child  had  nearly  been  your 
own  ..." 

"What's  that?"  broke  in  Mrs.  Duveen. 

1  You  see,  me  and  Diamond  have  been  a  bit  lone- 
some since  we  married  our  two  girls  off  to  the  Prov- 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  uj 

inces — and  very  good  matches  they  both  made,  bless 
'em — and  many  a  time  I  thought  to  myself:  What  if 
I  took  little  Phil  to  live  with  us?  You  understand  what 
I  mean.  Well,  I'm  very  glad  it  turned  out  like  it 
did." 

Phil  cheerfully  agreed  with  her.  He  was  pleased, 
too,  to  have  been  spared  the  knowledge  of  what 
Mother  Diamond — as  he  and  Leuw  irreverently  called 
her — intended  with  regard  to  him;  thus  he  had  been 
saved  unnecessary  tribulation  of  soul. 

'  Have  you  seen  mother  lately?  '    he  asked. 

4  Saw  her  just  before  I  came  away;  but  I  didn't  tell 
her  where  I  was  off  to,  else,  of  course,  she'd  have  sent 
her  love." 

'  And  Leuw — do  you  know  what  he's  doing?  " 

'  Who  ever  knew  what  Leuw  was  up  to?  "  said  Mrs. 
Diamond,  evidently  resenting  Leuw's  refusal  to  take 
her  into  his  confidence;  and  then  she  went  on,  shak- 
ing her  head  ominously,  "Ah!  I  am  afraid  Leuw — 
well,  he's  not  like  you,  Phil." 

"  No,  he's  a  good  sight  better,"  replied  Phil 
promptly. 

There,  isn't  he  a  dear?  "  appealed  Mrs.  Diamond 
to  Mrs.  Duveen. 

The  latter  smiled.  She  felt  that  she  had  not  shown 
herself  very  cordial  to  her  visitor,  but  that  was  be- 
cause she  had  regarded  her  with  a  vague  fear.  She 
did  not  know  what  claim  this  woman  with  her  over- 
whelming voice  and  manner  might  have  on  Phil;  but 
Phil's  own  arm's-length  attitude  re-assured  her  com- 
pletely. 

The  carriage  is  waiting,  ma'am,"  announced  Jane. 
\  I  hope  you   won't  think   me  inhospitable,  but   I 
8 


ii4 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


should  like  to  catch  this  train;  it's  so  awkward  to 
have  your  arrangements  upset,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen 
pleasantly. 

"Oh!  yes,  very  awkward,"  assented  Mrs.  Diamond, 
rising  reluctantly.  "  I  know  how  I  should  feel  about 
it  myself.  But,  of  course,  now  we've  made  friends, 
we'll  see  a  good  deal  more  of  each  other,  I  hope.  It's 
so  pleasant  to  come  across  somebody  you  can  talk  a 
sensible  word  to.  And  then,  if  you  want  any  wrin- 
kles about  poor-visiting,  I'm  the  party  for  you.  Only 
the  last  time  I  was  talking  to  Lady  Simmondson — 
me  and  her  Ladyship  are  great  friends,  you  know;  I 
suppose  you've  heard  of  her.   .  .  ." 

"  We  are  first  cousins,"  replied  Mrs.  Duveen  quietly. 

"Are  you  really?"  cried  Mrs.  Diamond  ecstatically. 
"Well,  I  was  telling  you,  says  her  Ladyship:  'Mrs 
Diamond,  there  isn't  a  soul  in  London  that  knows 
better  than  you  what  the  East  End  wants.'  But  then, 
of  course,  I  am  a  bit  of  a  public  character — you  under- 
stand what  I  mean.  I  am  subscriber  to  three  bread- 
meat-and-coal  societies  and  president  of  the  Inlying 
Charity  of  the  Women  of  Bialostock,  and  the  only  lady 
on  the  committee  of  the  new  Free  Dispensary,  not 
to  mention  .   .   ." 

"  Ma'am,  John  says  we  haven't  a  moment  to  spare," 
broke  in  Jane.  Mrs.  Duveen  made  a  resolute  move- 
ment to  the  door. 

"  Well,  I  suppose  I  must  go  now,"  said  Mrs.  Dia- 
mond regretfully,  "  but  as  soon  as  you  come  back  .  . ." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen  hastily,  without  car- 
ing what  she  was  pledging  herself  to  by  her  affirma- 
tive. 

Jane  had  snatched  up  the  traveling  satchels  and 
hurried  down,  closely  followed  by  Phil  and  Dulcie. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  115 

Mrs.  Diamond  kept  abreast  of  Mrs.  Duveen  all  the 
way  down,  determined  to  make  the  most  of  her  chance 
and  nearly  taking  her  listener's  breath  away  by  her 
whirlwind-like  utterance. 

After  the  briefest  possible  leave-taking,  which  Mrs. 
Diamond  tried  hard  to  elevate  into  an  occasion  of 
great  ceremony,  the  three  gained  the  refuge  of  the 
carriage,  and  Mrs.  Diamond  was  left  standing  on  the 
curb  wildly  waving  her  handkerchief,  though  con- 
trary to  her  firm  expectation  Mrs.  Duveen's  head  did 
not  appear  through  the  window  to  note  the  salute. 

"  A  bit  stuck-up,"  she  communed  with  herself, 
fl  and  she  might  have  asked  me  to  come  and  see  them 
off  to  the  station." 

But  the  disappointment  was  amply  atoned  for  by 
the  triumph  of  having  added  a  "  carriage  lady  "  to  her 
visiting  list. 

Probably,  too,  it  was  against  etiquette  to  be  asked 
to  take  a  ride  on  the  first  occasion.  Mrs.  Diamond 
had  only  hazy  notions  of  etiquette,  but  she  put  it 
somewhere  on  a  level  with  the  Ten  Commandments. 
At  any  rate  she  would  have  given  the  price  of  a  new 
bonnet,  had  her  bosom  friends,  Mrs.  Preager  and  Mrs. 
Tannenbaum,  seen  her  come  out  of  that  lovely  house. 
But  they  would  hear  all  about  it,  see  if  they  wouldn't. 
And  they  did.  Sad  to  relate,  however,  Mrs.  Dia- 
mond made  it  appear  from  her  account  that  she  had 
paid  the  call,  not  on  her  own  initiative,  but  in  response 
to  a  written  invitation.  Only  that  ass,  Diamond,  had 
gone  and  lit  his  pipe  with  the  letter. 


CHAPTER  XII 

Mrs.  Duveen  had  wisely  refrained  from  the  soul- 
racking  anxiety  which  most  people  think  it  necessary 
to  bestow  on  the  choice  of  their  summer  resort.  For 
more  reasons  than  one  she  had  gladly  fallen  in  with 
the  suggestion  of  her  cousin,  Mrs.  Elkin,  to  join  her 
in  the  little  Devonshire  coast-nook  which  was  making 
its  first  attempts  at  being  a  seaside  place. 

All  the  way  down  in  the  train,  Dulcie  was  jubilant 
at  the  prospect  of  meeting  her  crony,  Effie  Elkin,  with 
whom  she  had  had  no  chance  of  quarreling  for  quite 
two  months.  Phil  sat  silent  and  subdued,  greedily 
feasting  his  eyes  on  the  luxuriant  greenness  of  foliage 
and  meadow,  and  wondering  how  he  could  possibly 
make  his  mind  still  more  receptive  for  the  far  greater 
glories  which,  on  Dulcie's'  solemn  assurance,  wTould 
soon  dawn  on  his  dazzled  vision. 

"  What's  that?"  he  cried,  sitting  up  suddenly,  his 
nostrils  quivering  and  widespread.  A  sense  of  some- 
thing pungent  had  struck  him,  a  delicious  sense  that 
was  like  nothing  he  had  felt  before,  and  tingled 
through  him  from  head  to  foot  and  back  again. 

"  You're  not  going  to  be  seasick,  are  you?  "  jested 
Mrs.  Duveen. 

"  Is  that — is  that  the  sea?  "  quavered  Phil. 

"  Look  through  the  other  window,"  directed  Mrs. 
Duveen  smilingly. 

Phil  did  as  he  was  told  and  blinked.  There,  far 
across  the  meadow  land,  lay  what  appeared  for  all  the 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  117 

world  a  patch  of  molten  sunlight,  glinting  away 
very  soft  and  quiet  as  though  it  knew  there  was  really 
no  necessity  to  make  itself  look  more  beautiful  than 
it  did.  No  doubt  it  was  conscious  that  it  had  to  teach 
the  world  a  lesson. 

"  Yes,  there  it  is,"  whispered  Phil,  his  hand  brushing 
away  the  haze  from  his  eyes. 

"  I  wonder  if  Effie's  as  freckled  as  she  was  two 
years  ago,"  said  Dulcie  in  a  matter-of-fact  tone.  And 
the  spell  was  broken. 

According  to  previous  arrangement,  Mrs.  Elkin 
and  Effie  met  them  at  the  station — a  pocket-edition 
of  its  kind.  There  were  cordial  greetings,  and  Phil 
was  introduced.  He  wriggled  beneath  Effie's  frankly 
inquisitive  stare. 

'  Now,  then,  Tiny,  you  walk  with  the  mummsies," 
said  Effie,  who,  happening  to  be  two  months  older 
than  Dulcie,  made  despotic  use  of  the  accident. 

'  And  what  are  you  going  to  do?  "  asked  Dulcie. 
Talk   to   this    make-believe   brother   of   yours,.     I 
want  to  see  what  he's  like." 

"  Effie,  don't  be  so  fast!  "  remonstrated  Dulcie. 

"No,  dear;  no  more  than  I  can  help." 

"  You're  horrid!  And  I'm  dying  to  know  all  about 
the  place.     Any  niggers?" 

"  All  in  good  time,  Miss  Paul  Pry.  Now  just  get 
behind." 

Dulcie  yielded  sulkily.  Phil,  who  was  slowly  saun- 
tering on  a  pace  or  two  in  front,  started  to  find  the 
bold-eyed  little  girl  at  his  side. 

"  What  sort  of  a  boy  are  you?  "  she  asked. 

Phil  did  not  believe  his  ears,  and  favored  her  with 
a  rather  blunt: 


Il8  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

"Eh?" 

"  Eh — eh,"  mimicked  Effie,  "  too  much  trouble  to 
say,  '  I  beg  your  pardon/  is  it?  " 

"  No,  it  isn't;  only  I  couldn't  find  breath  enough. 
You  came  so  sudden." 

"  Well,  as  long  as  you're  sorry.  Dear  me,  and  now 
I've  got  to  ask  you  all  over  again,  and  it's  so  hot. 
What  sort  of  ,  .  ." 

"  Hadn't  you  better  wait  and  find  out  for  yourself?  " 

"  I  don't  like  waiting,  it's  so  tiresome.  And  then 
it's  much  easier  to  make  other  people  do  things  for 
me  than  do  them  myself." 

"Well,  suppose  I  don't  tell  you  the  truth?"  fenced 
Phil. 

"Oh!  I'd  soon  find  that  out;  and  then  I  wouldn't 
speak  to  you  again." 

Phil  was  greatly  embarrassed.  The  threat  sounded 
genuine,  and  he  could  hardly  be  sure  that  his  self- 
estimate  would  tally  with  the  truth,  because,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  it  had  never  struck,  him  to  estimate 
himself. 

"Well?"  asked  Effie,  eyeing  him  relentlessly. 

"  I  say,  I  wish  you  wouldn't  bother  me,"  replied 
Phil,  goaded  to  desperation.  He  fully  expected  that 
the  little  inquisitor  would  toss  her  black  glossy  mane, 
and  march  off  haughtily;  but  to  his  surprise — his 
agreeable  surprise,  by  the  way — he  was  mistaken. 

"Well,  it  is  rather  an  awkward  question  to  ask," 
admitted  Effie  sweetly.  "  It's  a  bad  habit  I've  got 
into.     Mother  always  tells  me  so." 

"  Really?"  asked  Phil,  putting  much  sympathy  into 
his  voice. 

"  I  don't  like  the  way  you  said  that  'really;'  any- 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  119 

body  would  think  I  had  told  you  I  had  only  got  one 
lung  like  Jacky  Smithers,  next  door  to  us." 

"  I  didn't  know  it  sounded  like  that,"  apologized 
Phil. 

"  Are  you  fond  of  the  seaside?"  queried  Effie  in  a 
voice  of  unutterable  boredom. 

"  I  don't  know  yet;  but  I  think  I  shall  like  it  very 
much." 

"You  think?  It's  time  you  had  made  up  your 
mind  about  it,  I  should  say." 

"  You  see  I've  never  been  to  the  seaside  before," 
said  Phil,  as  though  owning  to  some  vast  crime. 

Effie  said  nothing,  but  her  eyes  rested  on  Phil  as 
on  an  inexplicable  phenomenon. 

"  At  least,  father  was  once  going  to  take  us  to 
Southend  for  the  day,  but  he  didn't  have  enough 
money.  And  then  he  died  before  it  got  summer 
again." 

Effie  grew  still  more  mystified.  "  Didn't  have 
enough  money?  Then  why  didn't  he  go  to  the  bank 
and  get  some?     That's  what  we  always  do." 

"  Father  never  belonged  to  any  bank;  he  only  used 
to  make  slippers." 

"  Oh!  then  you're  quite  poor  people." 

Phil  drew  himself  up  stiffly.  "  Oh!  yes,  we're  quite 
poor  people,"  he  replied  haughtily. 

'  And  I  suppose  you  live  in  the  East  End?  Be- 
cause that's  where  all  the  poor  people  live.  I  asked 
papa  about  it." 

:  Yes,  we  live  in  the  East  End,"  said  Phil  still  more 
haughtily. 

"  Oh,  you  lucky  boy!  "  exclaimed  Effie. 
'  Go  on  chaffing  as  much  as  you  like.     Think  I 
care?" 


120  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

"  But  I'm  not  chaffing,"  protested  Effie;  "  I'm  quite 
serious.  It  must  be  splendid  down  there.  Did  you 
ever  see  the  old  Irish  women  sitting  on  the  door-steps 
smoking  pipes?  " 

41  Saw  them,  many  a  time,"  said  Phil. 

"  And  don't  the  brass  bands  come  round  four  times 
a  day?" 

"  More  than  that,  some  days." 

"  And  nobody  says  a  word  to  you  whether  you  wear 
a  pinafore  or  not." 

"  Can't  tell  you  about  that,  I'm  sure." 

"  Of  course  you  can't;  you're  only  a  boy.  And  the 
girls  needn't  put  on  gloves  every  time  they  go  out." 

"Oh,  no!" 

"See?  I  know  all  about  it,"  cried  Effie  triumph- 
antly. "  Our  Maria  comes  from  there.  It  must  be  a 
fine  place  for  getting  into  scrapes — isn't  it?': 

"  I  don't  know.  I  never  got  into  scrapes.  I  don't 
like   it." 

"  I  suppose  you're  a  bit  of  a  softie,"  hazarded  Effie. 

"Am  I?"  Phil  turned  on  her  sharply,  but  Effie 
did  not  flinch. 

"  Go  on — hit  me,  if  you  like,"  she  said  defiantly. 

"You're  awfully  flash,  aren't  you?  You  know  I 
wouldn't." 

"  Well,  come  behind  the  hedge  and  nobody'll  see." 

"  Oh!  I'd  do  it  here,  if  I  wanted  to." 

"  I  know  why  you  don't.  You're  frightened  I'll 
scratch  you  back." 

"  I  don't  care  what  you'll  do.  I  know  what  I  won't 
do — get  into  a  scrape." 

Effie  burst  out  laughing.  "  Oh !  you  are  sharp. 
Don't  you  see?  That's  just  what  I  was  trying  to 
make  you  do.     It  nearly  came  off,  though,  didn't  it?  " 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  121 

Phil  stopped  short,  taken  aback  by  this  instance  of 
female  duplicity;  then,  lest  she  should  think  the  laugh 
was  all  on  her  side,  he  joined  in  with  gusto. 

"  You  see,  I'm  getting  to  know  what  sort  of  a  boy 
you  are,  after  all,"  boasted  Effie. 

"  Yes,  but  you're  doing  all  the  work  for  it,"  retorted 
Phil. 

Here  Dulcie,  who  all  the  time  had  been  consumed 
with  curiosity  about  what  was  going  on  in  front,  came 
running  up. 

k  What  were  you  laughing  at?  "  she  enquired. 
Your  snub  nose,"  replied  Effie  promptly. 

"  '  Tisn't  true,  Dulcie,"  said  Phil  equally  promptly. 

"  But  you  know  you  have  got  a  snub  nose,  Dulcie," 
said  Effie  unabashed. 

"  Oh,  Effie!  How  can  you  say  anything  so  un- 
truthful?    Yours  is  ever  so  much  snubber." 

'  Now,  Phil,  you  be  umpire;  whose  is?  "  said  Effie, 
appealing  to  Phil. 

"  Yours  is,  I'll  lay  any  odds,"  was  the  unhesitating 
decision. 

'  Oh,  thank  you,  Phil,"  cried  Dulcie  gratefully. 
'  It's  no  thanking  job.     If  yours  was,  I'd  say  so  just 
as  soon.     Ah!  " 

The  exclamation  was  wrenched  from  him  by  the 
sudden  bend  of  the  path,  which  exposed  in  panorama 
the  green  shimmering  hill-hollow  wherein  the  little 
fishing-village  nestled  cosily.  The  bay  in  front  of  it 
was  just  one  large  good-humored  smile,  and  sportive 
tiny  wavelets  leaped  gleefully  inland,  as  though  to 
entice  the  demure  cottages  to  come  down  and  play 
with  them. 

Phil  fancied  he  had  all  at  once  shrunk  to  the  size 


122  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

of  a  pin's  head,  he  felt  so  small  and  subdued.  In  par- 
ticular he  repented  not  having  had  the  courage  to  own 
up  to  his  ignorance  as  to  what  a  snub  nose  really  was; 
and  so  there  wras  a  strong  possibility  that  his  decision 
against  Effie  was  unjust  He  did  not  want  to  decide 
against  any  one — justly  or  unjustly.  He  wanted  to 
be  at  peace  with  everybody.  But  his  most  urgent  de- 
sire was  to  pray.  He  knew  that  in  the  Daily  Prayer 
Book  is  given  the  blessing  one  must  utter  at  first  sight 
of  the  ocean.  He  would  have  given  all  his  new 
clothes  if  he  could  remember  how  it  went.  Then  he 
became  comforted;  he  felt  his  eyes  were  getting  moist. 
The  blessing  could  not  have  found  a  better  substitute. 

By  this  time  the  "  mummsies  "  had  come  up,  and 
stood  watching  him  smilingly. 

"  You  seem  to  be  pleased,  Phil,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen. 

Phil  started.  "  I  never  thought  it  would  be  like 
this/'  he  said,  flushing. 

"  Well,  don't  eat  it  up  altogether,  or  you  won't  have 
any  appetite  for  lunch,"  jested  Mrs.  Elkin. 

Dulcie  and  Effie  were  racing  down  the  hill,  scream- 
ing with  laughter,  their  hair  and  frocks  flying  like  the 
sails  of  some  strange  craft.  With  a  wild  whoop  Phil 
snatched  off  his  straw  hat,  leapt  two  feet  into  the 
air,  and  bounded  after  them,  his  right  forearm  stiffly 
in  front  as  if  he  were  guiding  the  bridle  of  the  wind. 
The  joy  of  life  had  gripped  him  mightily. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  he  is  waking  up,"  said  Mrs. 
Duveen  to  Mrs.  Elkin;  "  the  first  few  days  he  went 
about  as  if  he  saw  and  heard  nothing." 

*  Perhaps  he  was  afraid  of  the  waking  up,"  sug- 
gested Mrs.  Elkin.  "  In  the  places  from  which  he 
comes  it  isn't  good  for  people  to  feel  very  keenly." 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  ^3 

"  You  mean  he  is  beginning  to  trust  his  senses  at 
last." 

'Look  at  him/'  laughed  Mrs,.  Elkin;  "I  certainly 
wouldn't  take  him  for  a  sleep-walker." 

At  the  foot  of  the  hill  there  was  a  genera]  reunion. 

Dulcie  and  Erne  were  disputing  who  had  won  the 
race.  Phil  was  again  pressed  into  service  as  referee, 
and  disposed  of  the  question  by  saying  that  neither 
of  them  knew  how  to  run,  but  if  they  were  good  girls 
he  would  teach  them.  For  which  offer  Effie  showed 
herself  most  grateful,  and  promised,  as  soon  as  she 
had  time,  to  return  his  kindness  by  giving  him  a  few 
hints  on  manners. 

The  cottage  wherein  the  Duveen  party  was  to 
quarter  was  twin  and  next-door  neighbor  to  the 
Elkin's,  and  stood  right  facing  what  the  natives  vain- 
gloriously  talked  of  as  the  "  esplanade." 

Lunch  was  awaiting  them  at  Mrs.  Elkin's.  Every- 
body had  second  helpings — Phil  thought  he  would 
require  at  least  four  or  five  when  he  started;  he  learned 
to  his  relief  that  this  was  due  to  no  abnormal  enlarge- 
ment of  his  digestive  organs  but  simply  to  the  peculiar 
workings  of  the  air.  And  curiousbr  enough  every- 
body talked  of  it  in  a  way  which  ought  to  have  made 
the  air  swell  with  conceit. 

'  Come  on,  get  your  pail  and  shovel,"  said  Efne  to 
Dulcie  when  the  meal  was  over. 

Dulcie  obeyed  readily,  Phil  wondered  what  the 
pails  were  for;  for  emptying  the  ocean  they  were  ob- 
viously insufficient.  He  expressed  this  opinion  to  the 
girls  in  all  good  faith;  and  even  in  later  days,  the 
mere  mention  of  it  was  enough  to  raise  a  laugh. 
Chap-fallen  he  followed  them  down  to  the  beach.     He 


124  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

was  little  affected  by  Dulcie's  ridicule;  it  was  Effie's 
that  told  on  him  so  severely.  He  could  not  make  up 
his  mind  about  her  at  all.  But  somehow  he  felt  that 
he  and  she  would  either  be  the  best  of  friends  or  mor- 
tal enemies.  No  half-way  measure  seemed  possible. 
And  that  was  why  he  struggled  so  hard  against  feel- 
ing angry  with  her;  once  he  did  that,  it  might  be  the 
thin  end  of  the  mortal-enemy  wedge,  and  he  didn't 
like  the  idea  of  it.  Lazily  he  watched  the  two  girls 
raising  the  pyramids  of  sand.  He  had  brought  with 
him  "  Treasure  Island,"  but  it  lay  beside  him  unop- 
ened. Sea  and  sky  seemed  ever  so  much  better  read- 
ing; he  could  almost  feel  his  mind  becoming  full  of 
knowledge,    his   heart   of   understanding. 

"  Mine's  nicer,"  began  the  wrangle  presently. 

"  No,  mine;  look,  yours  is  all  lopsided," 

"  You  needn't  ask  me.  I'm  not  going  to  say  a 
word,"  declared  Phil. 

"  And  pray,  who  is  going  to  ask  you,  Mr.  Med- 
dler? "  said  Effie. 

"  You  were;  you  know  you  were." 

Effie  looked  at  Dulcie.  "  I  suppose  we  were,"  she 
said  at  last. 

"  I  suppose  so  too,"  said  Dulcie. 

"  And  I  shouldn't  advise  you  to  quarrel  so  much. 
It'll  make  you  ugly,"  said  Phil. 

"Will  it?"  cried  both  Effie  and  Dulcie  in  a  breath. 

"  Well,  that's  what  happened  to  the  two  girls  in  the 
story,"  said  Phii 

"  What  story?  "  was,  of  course,  the  next  question. 

Phil  thought  a  little,  and  then  began  a  harrowing 
tale  about  a  certain  Sue  and  Sal,  who,  through  saying 
nasty  things  to,  and  making  wry  faces  at,  each  other, 


A  TALE   OF  LONDON  JEWRY  125 

grew  so  hideous  to  look  at  that  they  only  had  to  enter 
a  house,  and  all  the  milk  turned  to  vinegar,  and  all 
the  sugar  to  salt,  and  the  best  steel  knives  went  rusty, 
and  the  purest  gold  became  copper.  At  last  their 
mothers  turned  them  out,  and,  of  course,  nobody  else 
would  take  them  in,  and  they  had  to  wander  about 
through  the  rain  and  the  darkness  all  by  themselves. 
And  just  as  they  lay  down  to  die,  calling  each  other 
names  all  the  while,  up  came  a  good  fairy  that  hap- 
pened to  live  near,  and  told  them  to  poke  out  their 
tongues,  and  just  touched  the  tips  with  her  wand. 
Whereupon  Sal  and  Sue  immediately  fell  round  each 
other's  necks,  and  kissed  each  other,  and  Sal  called 
Sue  a  darling,  and  Sue  told  Sal  she  was  awfully  sorry 
for  having  brought  her  to  such  a  misfortune.  And 
then  they  went  back  to  their  homes,  but  their  mothers 
refused  to  let  them  in,  saying  they  were  impostors, 
because  their  daughters  were  ugly  little  vixens  and 
not  beautiful  and  well-spoken  young  ladies.  So  they 
went  out  again  into  the  world,  but  they  hadn't  gone 
very  far  when  they  met  two  handsome  young  princes 
who  fell  in  love  with  them,  and  took  them  to  the 
king's  palace  and  married  them.  And  they  all  lived 
happily  ever  after. 

'Where  did  you  read  that?"  asked  Effie,  who  had 
followed  the  narrative  breathlessly. 

"  Nowhere,"  replied  Phil.     "  It  just  came  into  my 
mind  all  at  once." 

The  two  girls  looked  at  one  another. 

"  Oh,  Effie,  isn't  he  clever?"  said  Dulcie. 

"  Can  you  make  up  any  more?  "  asked  Effie. 

"I'll  try,"  said  Phil  modestly;  "I  don't  know  if  it 
will  turn  out  any  good,  though." 


126  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

44  Never  mind;  you're  only  fishing  for  compliments/' 
replied  Effie. 

"  I  say,  Effie,  don't  you  think  we  had  better  kiss 
first?"  suggested  Dulcie.  "Jane  would  be  so  cross 
if  she  had  to  polish  the  knives  all  day." 

"  You  stupid — don't  you  know  it's  only  a  fairy 
tale?  "  laughed  Effie. 

"  Still,  you  know,  it's  best  to  be  on  the  safe  side." 

"Well,  perhaps  you're  right.  Hold  up.  That's  it; 
and  another  one." 

"  I  wonder  what  mischief  those  little  imps  are  hatch- 
ing; look  how  quiet  they  are,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen  to 
Mrs.  Elkin. 

The  two  were  sitting  in  a  tent,  which  had  been  fixed 
up  in  the  strip  of  garden  in  front  of  the  two  cottages, 

"For  goodness'  sake,  don't  break  the  spell;  you 
know  what  Effie  is,"  laughed  the  other. 

In  the  end,  however,  they  were  obliged  to  take  the 
initiative  after  all. 

"What,  tea-time  already?"  asked  Effie  incredu- 
lously of  Jane,  who  had  been  dispatched  to  call  them 


m. 


It's  on  the  table,  Miss,"  insisted  Jane. 

"  I  simply  don't  understand  it,"  declared  Effie;  "do 
you?" 

Dulcie  didn't  either.  Phil  did,  but  that  was  because 
he  felt  so  dry  and  husky  in  the  throat.  Otherwise  he 
was  much  more  mystified  than  the  other  two  put  to- 
gether. It  was  no  strange  thing  to  him  to  find  all 
sorts  of  odd  ideas  crowding  his  brain.  Many  a  time 
Yellow  Joe  had  come  across  him  standing  at  the  street 
corner  in  a  fit  of  abstraction,  and  had  called  him  a 
sulky  brute  for  refusing  to  gamble  with  him  in  but- 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  127 

tons.  And  Phil  had  chuckled  to  himself  to  know  that 
he  was  really  having  a  very  good  time,  while  Yellow 
Joe  thought  him  a  hopeless  victim  of  the  dumps.  But 
he  had  never  tried  to  put  his  ideas  into  words,  first 
because  he  had  no  listener,  and  secondly  because  it 
was  best  to  let  well  alone;  they  mightn't  sound  as  nice 
as  they  felt.  This  was  his  first  attempt — a  genuine 
success,  as  Effie's  "  I  simply  don't  understand  it "  told 
clearly.  Of  course,  the  buoyant  air,  the  soft-crooning 
sea,  the  caressing  sunshine  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with 
it,  but  somehow  most  of  the  credit  belonged  to  Effie's 
dark  eyes.  They  listened  so  hard,  they  fetched  the 
words  out  of  his  mouth  before  he  had  time  to  know 
they  were  there,. 

"  Mummsy,  Phil  can  tell  stories,"  shouted  the  owner 
of  the  black  eyes  excitedly. 

Mrs.  Elkin  threw  up  her  hands  in  mock  horror. 
"  I  shouldn't  have  thought  it  of  him." 

"  Not  the  way  you  mean,  but  all  about  fairies  and 
castles,  and  you  never  know  what's  going  to  happen, 
can  you,  Dulcie?  " 

"  There's  the  whole  secret  for  you,"  said  Mrs.  Elkin 
to  Mrs.  Duveen. 

"  Did  he  tell  them  nicely?  "  smiled  the  latter. 

"  Splendid;  all  out  of  his  own  head,  too." 

"  In  that  case  we  are  all  going  to  treat  ourselves  to 
a  row  after  tea." 

Phil  was  not  prepared  for  the  outburst  of  delight 
that  followed.  It  did  not  make  him  proud  so  much 
as  glad,  glad  that  he  had  put  Effie  under  an  obligation 
so  early  in  their  acquaintance.  She  acknowledged 
it  readily. 

You   aren't  a  little  softie,"  she  informed  him   as 
they  tramped  down  to  the  beach,. 


128  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

41  I  told  you  I  wasn't/'  was  his  instant  reply. 

Phil  had  never  been  on  the  water  before;  but  he 
did  not  give  a  thought  to  danger.  Already  he  was  learn- 
ing to  love  this  green,  immeasurable  mystery.  He  had 
got  as  far  as  pitying  it;  it  looked  so  lonely.  The  brave 
smile  that  kept  rippling  its  surface  seemed  nothing 
but  a  mask.  The  expedition  was  very  uneventful  as, 
of  course,  everybody,  except  Effie,  wished  it  to  be. 
Effie  longed  eagerly — she  did  so  each  time  she  went 
into  a  boat — for  a  storm  to  come  on,  "  just  to  see  what 
it  felt  like."  She  raised  several  false  alarms  in  the 
hope  of  inciting  an  innocent  fleck  of  cloud  down  in 
the  sky  into  taking  her  at  her  word;  and  at  last  de- 
spairing of  that,  she  furnished  the  only  incident  of  the 
voyage  by  wheedling  the  old  boatman  into  letting  her 
try  an  oar,  and  immediately  turning  a  backward  sum- 
mersault over  the  thwart.  Nobody  laughed  more 
heartily  than  she,  although  none  of  the  others  felt 
such  a  painful  numbness  in  their  left  elbow.  After 
that  Phil  asked  to  have  a  a  go,"  and  got  on  very  cred- 
itably considering  the  circumstances.  Effie  listened 
with  conflicting  emotions  to  old  Jobson's  grunts  of 
approval.  She  was  glad  to  have  come  across  Phil; 
he  was  so  different  to  the  other  boys  she  knew — with 
the  difference  in  his  favor.  But  she  hoped  he  wasn't 
very  much  cleverer  than  she,  because  if  people  praised 
him  too  hard,  she  might  get  jealous,  and  you  can't 
be  friends  with  people  you  are  jealous  of — bah!  she 
was  stupid.  Old  Jobson  would  have  been  flattered, 
had  he  known  his  grunts  gave  her  so  much  food  for 
reflection,  and — here  they  were  back  again  aground, 
and  Phil  helped  her  out  before  Dulcie,  at  which  she 
was  absurdly  pleased.     It  was  too  early  to  go  in  to 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  129 

supper,  so  they  stopped  on  the  beach,  and  Phil,  with 
fascinated  gaze,  watched  the  miracle  of  the  incoming 
tide,  as  myriads  of  boys  have  done  before  him,  and  will 
do  after  him.  Effie  and  Dulcie  treated  it  much  less 
respectfully;  they  played  "  touch  "  with  it,  waiting  till 
the  landward  wave  had  crept  within  an  inch  or  two  of 
them  and  then  scampering  off  with  shriek  and  squeal. 

Phil  almost  felt  inclined  to  read  them  a  lecture, 
when  Effie  rushed  up  and  shouted  in  his  ear: 

" Come  on;  you're  missing  all  the  fun.  There, 
look  at  that  wave — wasn't  it  spiteful?  '  At  the  same 
time  she  gripped  him  by  the  hand;  and  presently 
Phil — lecture  and  all — was  joining  in  the  game,  and 
a  tricky  little  breaker  had  sprung  full  in  his  face  to  the 
vast  delight  of  his  luckier  playmates. 

It  was  arranged  that  the  two  house  parties  should 
meal  together  at  Mrs.  Elkin's,  and  nine  o'clock  sharp 
had  been  fixed  for  curfew-time.  Half  an  hour  re- 
mained after  supper,  and  Phil  had  just  taken  up  his 

Treasure  Island  "  with  diplomatic  apologies  to  that 
grand  old  villain,  John  Silver,  for  neglecting  him  all 
day,  when  a  sudden  burst  of  music  made  him  sit  right 
up.  Mrs.  Elkin  and  Effie  had  seated  themselves  at  the 
small-sized  cottage  piano,  and  were  playing  a  duet, 
at  least  that  was  what  Phil  heard  Mrs.  Duveen  call 
it.  Old  John  Silver  had  to  retire  once  more  into  the 
background. 

Phil  listened  spell-bound  to  the  quaint,  plaintive 
composition — it  was  the  work  of  some  one  whose 
name  ended  in  "  ski."  There  was  a  subtle  note  of  fit- 
ness about  it  that  accorded  wonderfully  with  the  spirit 
of  the  moment.  The  darkness  peered  in  pathetically 
through  the  window,  the  complacent  flapping  of  the 
9 


13° 


SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 


waves  had  turned  to  a  long-drawn  moan;  and  the  sad- 
ness of  it  all  was  unutterably  sweet. 

Phil  was  back  once  more  in  the  cobwebbed  little 
Prayer  House  with  its  Old- World  chants  and  its  at- 
mosphere of  wistful  resignation.  His  old  life  and  the 
new  seemed  to  have  met  and  made  a  compromise;  he 
was  filled  with  a  comforting  sense  of  reconcilement. 
Of  late,  he  had  become  something  of  a  stranger  to 
himself.     He  was  Phil  once  more. 

"  How  well  I  shall  sleep  to-night,"  he  could  not  help 
murmuring. 

The  music  ceased  with  a  sustained  monotone. 

"  Oh,  Effie,  how  you  have  improved,"  cried  Dulcie, 
"  I  wish  I  played  half  as  well."  Effie  did  not  answer 
her,  but  cast  a  swift  glance  at  Phil;  he  was  staring  at 
her  with  wide  open  eyes,  but  for  all  that  he  did  not 
seem  to  see  her. 

"  Well,  when  you've  left  off  gaping,"  she  said  to 
him  pettishly. 

"  I — I  wasn't  gaping,"  stammered  Phil,  dropping 
the  book  in  his  confusion. 

"  Now,  then,  chicks — off  with  you,"  commanded 
Mrs.   Elkin. 

Strange  to  say,  none  of  the  "  chicks "  raised  a 
remonstrance,  though  time  wasn't  up  by  quite  a 
quarter  of  an  hour.  Phil  snatched  a  moment's  tete- 
a-tete  with  Effie  as  she  was  replacing  the  music  in  the 
stand  and  whispered: 

"  You  can  sing  ever  so  much  better  than  I  can  tell 
stories!  " 

'  Can  I?  "  was  the  astonished  reply.  "Why,  I  never 
opened  my  mouth." 

'  Not  with  your  month — with  your  fingers,  you 
know.     Good  night." 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  131 

Effie  thought  for  a  moment,  then  her  face  became 
radiant.  She  forgot  to  return  his  "  good  night."  Phil 
refrained  from  glancing  at  the  sea  in  his  transit  to 
next  door;  but  he  went  and  had  a  good  look  at  it 
through  his  bedroom  window,  from  behind  a  barri- 
cade, as  it  were.  The  tide  was  full  and  breaking 
against  the  rock-sprinkled  beach.  Phil's  imagina- 
tion at  once  construed  the  numberless  white  dots  of 
surf  into  a  million  rebellious  little  spirits  trying  to 
clamber  out  of  the  dark  and  the  wet  into  more  com- 
fortable quarters;  but  each  time,  just  as  they  were 
about  to  succeed,  an  inexorable  grasp  dragged  them 
back,  and  the  sullen  boom  that  followed  was  like  an 
angry  rebuke  to  their  disobedience.  Phil  became 
frightened;  perhaps  the  sea  was  angry  with  him,  too. 
He  remembered  he  had  dared  to  pity  it;  he,  the  mean, 
human  worm,  had  dared  to  pity  the  infinite  and  the 
eternal.  It  was  like  insulting  God.  And  then,  all 
at  once,  there  came  a  lullaby,  which,  soft  as  it  was, 
overbore  the  sullen  boom,  and  hushed  his  fear  to 
slumber.  Effie's  fingers  were  singing  the  lullaby. 
He  was  glad  he  had  drunk  in  every  note  of  it.  Had 
he  missed  even  a  single  quaver,  it  would  not  have 
done  its  work  so  effectually,  and  he  would  have  gone 
to  bed  feeling  that  the  perfectness  of  the  day  had  been 
marred  by  one  irreparable  fault;  and  this  could  not 
have  counted  as  a  day  of  days  for  him.  Now,  how- 
ever— yes,  he  slept  very  well  that  night. 

Such  was,  more  or  less,  the  routine  of  their  stay. 
About  the  middle  of  the  third  week  a  welcome  diver- 
sion was  occasioned  by  a  surprise  visit  of  Uncle  Bram 
and  Mr.  Elkin,  the  latter  a  grave-faced,  middle-aged 
gentleman  who  said  very  little  and  smoked  a  great 
deal. 


132 


SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT 


"  And  who  may  you  be,  pray?  "  asked  Uncle  Bram 
with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye. 

Phil,  to  whom  the  query  was  addressed,  drew  back 
disconcerted. 

"  Why,  don't  you  remember  me?  "  he  stammered,. 

"  Of  course,  it's  Phil,"  said  Uncle  Bram,  pretending 
to  recognize  him  at  last  and  shaking  hands  emphati- 
cally. "  You'll  excuse  me — won't  you? — but  I  never 
knew  a  boy  to  grow  twice  his  size  in  a  fortnight.  You 
had  better  give  me  notice  next  time  you  intend  to  put 
on  a  foot  or  two." 

Phil  glowed  with  pleasure.  He  was  glad  he  was 
developing  a  physique;  he  had  always  had  an  idea  that 
the  bigger  he  grew,  the  more  knowledge  he  would 
be  able  to  accommodate.  Another  inch  or  two 
might  make  all  the  difference. 

A  short  conversation  between  Dulcie  and  Uncle 
Bram,  as  they  promenaded  along  the  sea-front  that 
evening,  was  rather  significant  of  the  state  of  relations 
which  had  prevailed  among  the  three  younger  mem- 
bers of  the  party. 

"  I  suppose  you  have  been  enjoying  yourself  like 
one  o'clock,"  remarked  Uncle  Bram,. 

"  Well,  not  so  much  as  I  thought  I  would,"  replied 
Dulcie  a  little  dolefully. 

"Oh!  how's  that?" 

"  I  don't  know — yes,  I  do  know;  it's  Effie  and  Phil." 

"  What!  you  don't  say  they've  been  bullying  you?  '; 

"Oh,  no,  not  the  least  little  bit;  only  they  make 
me  feel  so  out  of  it." 

"  Seems,  then,  they've  been  chumming  up  together, 
eh?" 

"  Oh!  ever  so  much.  And  if  they  let  me  come  with 
them,  it  was  like  doing  me  a  favor." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  133 

"  Then,  why  didn't  you  tell  your  mamma  about  it?  ' 

"  That  would  be  like  sneaking;  and  she  might  have 
said  it  was  my  fault,  and  that  I  didn't  try  to  make  my- 
self sociable." 

"  That's  true.  Well,  I  should  have  gone  and  told 
them  plain  and  plump." 

"  I  shouldn't.  Think  I  wanted  to  let  them  see  I 
cared? ':  exclaimed  Dulcie  with  an  ominous  sniff. 
"  And  if  he'd  rather  talk  to  her  than  to  me  " — Dulcie 
fumbled  for  her  handkerchief — "  I  suppose  it's  be- 
cause she's  prettier  than  I  am." 

"  But  she  isn't,"  said  Uncle  Bram,  with  a  convic- 
tion that  would  have  stopped  an  avalanche. 

"  And  he  isn't  half  as  nice  as  his  brother  Leuw, 
and  I've  got  a  good  mind  to  tell  him  so." 

Uncle  Bram  persuaded  her  to  refrain  from  a  reve- 
lation which  might  annihilate  Phil's  good  opinion  of 
himself,  and  being  of  a  peace-loving  disposition,  set 
about  rectifying  matters  generally.  Under  his  genial 
influence  the  strain  of  faction  relaxed  so  effectually 
yet  so  imperceptibly  as  to  make  Dulcie  doubt  that  it 
had  ever  existed.  In  consequence  she  endeavored  to 
make  good  by  a  redoubled  sweetness  of  manner  the 
injustice  she  had  done  Phil  and  Effie  by  her  ground- 
less fancy.  And  that,  combined  with  Uncle  Bram's 
untiring  resourcefulness  of  amusement,  served  to  cast 
over  the  remainder  of  their  sojourn  a  halo  of  consum- 
mate happiness. 

Natural,  therefore,  in  a  way,  was  the  moody  and 
discontented  look  which  Effie  noticed  on  Phil's  face 
the  evening  before  their  return  to  town.  The  two 
were  standing  on  the  seashore  watching  the  sun  drop 
beyond  the  horizon.  Phil  had  long  ago  got  over  his 
fear  that  the  red  hot  ball  would  go  out  with  a  hiss 


*34 


SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 


and  a  whizz  as  it  touched  the  water-line,  though  his 
wonder,  how  it  managed  to  escape,  remained  unabated. 

4'  I  suppose  you  are  sorry  to  go  away  from  here,1' 
suggested   Effie. 

Phil  shook  his  head.  "  No,  I  was  only  thinking 
how  selfish  I  have  been.  It  didn't  come  into  my 
mind  the  whole  time,  and  now  it  struck  me  all  of  a 
heap." 

"  Why,  what  have  you  been  selfish  about?  I  didn't 
notice  anything.'' 

"What!  Didn't,  you  see  what  a  jolly  good  time 
I've  been  having?  " 

"  Yes,  but  you  didn't  take  it  away  from  anybody 
else." 

Phil  ignored  her,  and  continued  half  to  himself: 
"  And  all  the  while  I  dare  say  she's  been  going  it — 
rub,  rub  on  the  wash-board — from  morning  to  night, 
and  the  steam  from  the  copper  scalding  her  face,  and 
the  sun  shining  his  hottest  through  the  skylight  in 
the  wash-kitchen,  and  the  blisters,,  and  a  couple  of 
hours'  mangling  when  it  was  all  dry,  and  Leuw  .  .  ." 

"  Well,  it  was  their  own  fault,"  broke  in  Effie. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  cried  Phil,  turning  on  her 
almost  fiercely. 

Effie  glanced  away  helplessly,  but  Phil's  threaten- 
ingly questioning  look  followed  her  everywhere  till 
it  forced  her  to  speak  out. 

"  I  wasn't  to  tell  you,  but  Auntie  Duveen  wrote 
them  to  come  here  for  a  few  days,  or  as  long  as  they 
liked,  and  she  was  going  to  send  them  the  money, 
and  they  wrote  back  they  were  much  obliged,  and 
they  wouldn't." 

"  Of  course,  they  wouldn't,"  echoed  Phil  grimly. 

"Why  of  course?"  asked  Effie. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  135 

"  Because  they  don't  care  about  taking  favors  from 
strangers.  They're  proud — awfully.  I  wish  I  could 
be  as  proud  as  all  that." 

"Oh,   Phil!" 

"  What's  wrong  now?  " 

"  I  didn't  think  you'd  say  that." 

"  And  what  did  you  expect  me  to  say,  please?  ' 
asked  Phil,  chillingly  polite. 

"  That  Auntie  Duveen  is  a  dear,  and  that  it  was 
sweet  and  kind  of  her  to  .  ,.  ." 

"  By  gum,  you're  right,  Effie,  and — d'you  mind  call- 
ing me  a  beast?  I'd  do  it  myself,  but  it  wouldn't 
sound  hard  enough." 

Effie  was  about  to  burst  out  laughing;  Phil's  puck- 
ered lips,  however,  stopped  her. 

"  Oh,  Effie,  Effie — I  feel  so  sorry  for  them,"  he  said 
with  a  break  in  his  voice. 

Silently  she  took  his  hand  in  hers  and  stood  strok- 
ing it. 

"  And  the  worst  of  it  is  that  all  my  worrying  doesn't 
do  any  good,"  he  went  on. 

"  No,  Phil,  that's  the  best  of  it.  It's  why  you 
shouldn't  worry." 

Another  minute  of  stroking,  and  Phil  began  to  see 
it  in  the  same  light. 

"  Jingo,  ain't  I  going  to  make  the  other  fellows  sit 
up,"  he  broke  out. 

The  remark  was  quite  inconsequent,  but  to  Phil's 
mind  the  connection  was  clear.  Success  in  school 
would  be  the  first  step  towards  the  abolition  of  his 
mother's  washing-board;  and  in  order  to  attain  that 
success  he  dared  not  distract  his  thoughts  by  inop- 
portune misgivings  and  futile  regret.  Nevertheless, 
he  was  glad  of  the  despondent  mood  through  which 


136  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT 

he  had  passed.  It  had  served  a  distinct  purpose.  It 
had  enabled  him  to  lay  his  hand  on  the  nondescript 
discontent  which  had  dogged  him  awake  and  asleep 
ever  since  he  left  home,  the  feeling  of  a  disloyal  sel- 
fishness. He  had,  as  it  were,  rescued  himself  into  port, 
while  his  dear  ones  were  struggling  in  mid-ocean  on 
a  precarious  plank  or  two.  While  he  had  been  with 
them,  had  partaken  of  their  discomforts,  he  had  been 
too  much  occupied  with  his  own  share  of  them  to 
leave  much  room  or  time  for  sympathy  with  theirs. 
But  now  that  his  heart  was  vacant  and  at  leisure,  it 
seemed  bent  on  making  up  for  its  indifference  by  an 
acuter  sensitiveness,  which  hardly  knew  its  object  or 
motive.  Phil  had  set  it  right  at  last.  He  would  feel 
for  them — ah!  yes;  but  his  feeling  would  have  a  dis- 
tinct and  sacred  place  all  to  itself,  so  that  it  might  not 
clash  with  his  other  interests  of  life  and  get  hurt. 

"  It  does  me  a  lot  of  good  to  talk  with  you,"  he  told 
Effie. 

"  I  am  glad/'  she  replied,  without  any  attempt  at 
coquetry. 

"  But  you  mustn't  forget  a  little  stroking  now  and 
then." 

When  Mrs.  Duveen  kissed  Phil  "  good  night  "  that 
evening,  he  for  the  first  time  and,  therefore,  much  to 
her  surprise  returned  the  salute.  But  he  did  not  tell 
her  why;  the  reason  might  have  taken  some  of  the 
value  out  of  the  compliment.  And,  besides,  he  would 
not  betray  Effie.  For  the  same  reason,  too,  it  was, 
that,  when  two  days  afterwards,  the  wiry-looking, 
keen-eyed  head-master  asked  him  for  his  name,  Phil, 
with  something  that  sounded  like  pride,  made  an- 
swer: "Philip  Lipcott  Duveen,  sir." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

"  I  tell  you  it's  a  perfect  disgrace;  what  do  you  say, 
Diamond? " 

"  Becky,  my  dear,  you  know  I  always  say  as  you 
say,"  replied  Mr.  Diamond  readily. 

'  The  whole  neighborhood  is  talking  about  it,"  con- 
tinued Mrs.  Diamond,  flourishing  her  arms.  "  To 
think  of  a  Jewish  boy  with  respectable  parents — one 
of  them  unfortunately  deceased — idling  about  the 
streets,  picking  up  all  manner  of  wickedness,  and  get- 
ting into  ruffianly  ways.  .  .  ." 

"  I  haven't  noticed  any  ruffianly  ways  about  Leuw," 
interposed  Mrs.  Lipcott  quietly. 

"  Not  yet,  of  course,  but  give  him  time  to  show  off. 
I  never  heard  of  such  a  thing.  Why  don't  you  'pren- 
tice him  to  some  honest  trade  where  he'd  be  out  of 
mischief;  am  I  right  or  not,  Diamond?  " 

"  Perfectly  right,  Becky,  my  dear,"  Mr.  Diamond 
hastened  to  affirm. 

"  I  think  Leuw  knows  what  he  is  about,"  said  Mrs. 
Lipcott,  quietly  as  before. 

"  He  knows,  but  you  don't.  Of  course,  I'm  just 
the  last  person  to  interfere  in  anybody  else's  business, 
but  I  always  like  to  do  my  duty,  eh,  Diamond?  ' 

*  Most  certainly  you  do,  Becky,  my  dear." 

"  Well,  then,  it's  just  like  this,"  went  on  Mrs.  Dia- 
mond, glaring  at  Mrs.  Lipcott,  "  I'm  responsible  for 
you  all  to  my  dear  friend,  Mrs.  Duveen.  Now  my 
dear  friend,  Mrs.  Duveen,  is  going  to  bring  up  your 


138  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

Phil  for  her  own  son;  and  I'll  never  be  able  to  hold 
my  head  up,  if  your  Phil's  brother  is  going  to  be  a 
loafer  and  a  vagabond.  .  „  ." 

"Mrs.  Diamond!'  cried  Mrs.  Lipcott,  her  meek 
eyes  suddenly  ablaze  with  anger. 

"  There,  there,  don't  jump  down  my  throat/'  said 
Mrs.  Diamond  deprecatingly.  "  Anybody  would 
think  I  said  he  was  born  to  be  hanged.  Now,  wouldn't 
you,  Diamond?  " 

"  I  certainly  would,  Becky,  my  dear,"  said  the  echo, 
leaving  the  real  point  of  the  question  in  doubt. 

"  And  I'm  only  putting  you  on  your  guard,  so  that 
you  shouldn't  have  to  reproach  yourself  with  anything 
later  on.  Fancy  a  bit  of  a  boy  like  that  going  where 
he  likes  and  doing  what  he  likes.  I  don't  suppose  you 
did  that  at  his  age,  Diamond,  or  I  don't  think  you'd 
have  been  my  husband." 

Mr.  Diamond  thought  he  wouldn't  Mrs.  Diamond 
was  of  opinion  that  the  tone  in  which  he  said  it  ought 
to  have  contained  a  trifle  more  apprehension  at  so 
terrible  a  possibility,  and  made  a  mental  note  to  bring 
the  matter  up  for  exhaustive  discussion  at  the  earliest 
convenient  occasion. 

"  He  always  tells  me  everything  he's  been  at  during 
the  day,"  said  Mrs.  Lipcott.  Mrs.  Diamond  shrugged 
her  shoulders. 

"  Everything — except  what  he  leaves  out.  How 
can  you  know?  I  consider  it  my  bounden  duty  " — 
Mrs.  Diamond's  voice  became  quite  solemn — "  to 
warn  you  against  letting  him  become  a  disgrace  to 
my  very  dear  friend,  Mrs.  Duveen;  am  I  right.  .  .  ." 

"But  what  can  I  do?"  broke  in  Mrs.  Lipcott,  be- 
ginning to  be  impressed  in  spite  of  herself.     "  He's 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  139 

made  up  his  mind  against  going  for  a  'prentice.  Per- 
haps you  might  talk  to  him." 

44  God  forbid,"  ejaculated   Mr.   Diamond  hastily. 

"  That's  a  good  idea,"  said  Mrs.  Diamond,  ignoring 
his  protest.     "  Send  him  round." 

"  Becky,  I  don't  think  you  ought  to  rob  a  mother 
of  the  privilege  of  reproving  her  own  child,"  remarked 
Mr.  Diamond  sanctimoniously. 

4  Fiddlesticks,"  snapped  Mrs.  Diamond.  "  Send 
him  round,  I  say." 

Mrs.  Lipcott  went  home  struggling  bravely  against 
her  misgivings.  Suppose,  after  all,  there  was  some- 
thing in  Mrs.  Diamond's  raven's  croak.  Everything 
considered,  Leuw  was  little  more  than  a  child;  and  he 
had  set  himself  to  wrestle  with  that  most  merciless  of 
foes,  the  streets  of  a  great  city.  Perhaps  they  might 
become  too  strong  for  him — overpower  him  with  their 
temptations,  snare  his  soul  in  their  treacherous  am- 
bushes, crush  his  heart  in  their  stony  embrace.  True, 
as  she  had  said,  so  far  she  had  seen  no  sign  of  it;  but 
that  perhaps  only  meant  that  the  evil  influences  were 
taking  deeper  and  more  insidious  root.  The  thought 
spurred  her  to  frantic  haste,  as  though  it  depended  on 
mere  speed  of  foot  to  catch  up  and  avert  the  impend- 
ing disaster. 

Leuw  certainly  appeared  innocent  and  conscience- 
easy  enough,  as  she  came  upon  him  at  the  mouth  of 
Narrow  Alley. 

"What's  the  hurry,  mother?"'  he  asked,  looking  at 
her  with  the  large  honest  eyes  which  had  been 
Dulcie's  special  discovery  in  him. 

Mrs.  Lipcott  forced  herself  into  calmness  before 
she  replied  with  some  random  explanation;  then  she 


140 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT 


gave  him  the  message  from  the  Diamonds,  without 
adding  its  particular  purpose,  and  feeling  all  the  time 
as  though  she  had  joined  some  conspiracy  against 
her  child.  Leuw  expressed  no  astonishment  at  being 
sent  for,  because  he  had  been  to  the  Diamonds'  sev- 
eral times  for  odd  jobs,  such  as  brushing  Mr.  Dia- 
mond's wardrobe,  or  running  an  errand,  with  the 
result  of  additional  sixpences  to  the  Lipcott  exchequer. 
And  so  the  message  found  Leuw  ready  and  willing  to 
obey;  despite  her  assurance  that  it  was  no  urgent  case, 
it  was  only  with  difficulty  that  his  mother  prevailed 
on  him  to  snatch  a  hasty  bite  and  gulp  before  start- 
ing. Still,  this  hastiness  did  not  prevent  him  from 
noting  and  wondering  at  her  apologetic  demeanor. 

"  Come  in,  come  in,"  said  Mrs.  Diamond,  as  Leuw 
poked  his  head  in  at  the  door.  Leuw  came  in.  At  his 
entry  Mr.  Diamond  crouched  back  into  his  arm-chair, 
crumpled  himself  up  to  the  smallest  size  possible,  and 
spread  out  his  evening  paper  to  act  as  a  screen  be- 
tween himself  and  the  rest  of  the  room,  making  it  evi- 
dent that  he  did  not  wish  to  participate  in  the  pro- 
ceedings about  to  take  place.  He  always  thought 
there  was  something  uncanny  and  mysterious  about 
Leuw;  he  was  a  plain,  straightforward  man  himself, 
and  had  no  taste  for  dabbling  in  mysteries.  If  his 
wife  cared  about  it  .  .  . 

Hark!  This  was  her  voice.  The  battle  had  com- 
menced. Mr.  Diamond  tried  to  make  himself  still 
smaller!  But  strange!  her  words  were  addressed  to 
himself,  not  to  Leuw. 

"  I'm  going  out  for  ten  minutes,"  she  was  saying. 
"  You  just  see  to  him,  Diamond." 

Mr.  Diamond  grinned  fatuously  at  his  wife's  little 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  141 

joke,  then  the  door  slammed.     Mr.  Diamond  looked 
up  startled;  he  and  Leuw  were  alone  in  the  room. 

"  Becky,  Becky,"  shouted  Mr.  Diamond,  rushing 
frantically  out  into  the  passage. 

"Coward,"  hissed  Mrs.  Diamond;  "  d'you  funk  a 
little  boy  like  that?  " 

"  Yes,  but  I  don't  know  what  to  say  to  him,"  whined 
Mr.  Diamond. 

"  Say  whatever  you  like.  Only  make  it  strong. 
Understand  what  I  mean?     Strong." 

And  presently  Mr.  Diamond  found  himself  back  in 
the  room,  with  a  feeling  of  having  to  choose  between 
the  devil  and  the  deep  sea. 

Leuw  had  expressed  no  surprise  at  the  peculiar 
scene;  he  never  expressed  surprise  at  anything.  It 
appeared  to  him  that,  in  betraying  his  state  of  mind  to 
people,  he  was  giving  away  something  for  which  they 
had  not  paid  value,  and  which  was  consequently  an 
extravagance.  Mr.  Diamond  profited  by  his  indiffer- 
ence to  get  a  clear  grasp  of  the  situation.  Here  was 
a  choice  between  being  blackguarded  by  young  Leuw 
or  risking  the  tender  mercies  of  his  wife. 

He  chose  the  latter,  because  he  held  it  the  height  of 
philosophy  to  obtain  the  longest  possible  respite  from 
trouble.  Besides,  he  knew  exactly  how  far  his  wife 
would  go;  she  dared  not  kill  him,  because  she  would 
not  be  entitled  to  her  full  widow's  pension  for  another 
three  years.  In  Leuw's  case  there  were  no  such  con- 
siderations, but  there  were  reports  of  his  hasty  temper 
which  were  most  alarming.  Mr.  Diamond  was  not  a 
coward,  as  his  wife  had  suggested;  but  he  loved  him- 
self dearly.  And  a  task  which  even  his  wife  fought 
shy  of  was  surely  not  cut  to  his  measure. 


142 


SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 


With  a  benign  smile  he  beckoned  Leuw  to  a  chair, 
and  mumbling  an  apology  resumed  his  paper,  Leuw 
was  quite  content  to  sit  still,  because,  although  he  had 
pretty  well  found  his  'street  legs'  by  now,  a  day's 
work  was  a  day's  work.  The  silence  continued  for 
ten  minutes;  then  it  struck  Leuw  that,  as  there  seemed 
nothing  on  hand,  he  might  as  well  be  sitting  at  home, 
keeping  his  mother  company;  so  he  spoke: 

"  Is  there  anything  you  want  me  to  do,  Mr.  Dia- 
mond? " 

"  Presently,  presently/'  murmured  Mr.  Diamond, 
bending  over  his  paper  in  an  attitude  of  utter  abstrac- 
tion. 

Leuw  permitted  the  "  presently  "  to  rank  as  a  period 
of  five  minutes  by  the  clock  opposite,  and  at  its  ter- 
mination repeated  his  question. 

"Eh — who — what's  that?"  cried  Mr.  Diamond  dis- 
tractedly, looking  round  him  like  a  man  wrested  from 
deep  slumber.  "Oh!  you  still  here?  Let  me  see: 
Anything  for  you  to  do?  No,  no,  no,  I  don't  think 
so.  Thank  you  all  the  same  for  calling  to  ask.  Good 
night,  my  boy."  And  again  the  newspaper  claimed 
him. 

Leuw  considered  for  a  moment  or  two  whether  or 
not  to  investigate  this  strange  behavior.  He  decided 
on  the  negative;  probably  the  whole  thing  was  due  to 
a  misunderstanding  of  his  mother.  So  he  politely  re- 
turned the  "  good  night,"  and  walked  out. 

Outside  the  door  he  almost  collided  with  Mrs.  Dia- 
mond. 

'Oh!  I  was  just  coming  in,"  she  said,  with  some 
confusion.  "  Well,  I'm  glad  you  took  it  so  quietly,  at 
any  rate." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  143 

"Took  what  quietly ?" 

"  What  Mr.  Diamond  said  to  you." 

"  But  he  didn't  say  anything.  He  was  reading  the 
paper  the  whole  of  the  time." 

"  Oh,  was  he?  Well,  it  doesn't  matter  at  all.  You 
needn't  wait." 

Leuw  was  simply  too  much  amazed  to  make  any 
remonstrance  at  his  abrupt  dismissal. 

When  he  was  half-way  down  the  stairs,  the  sound 
of  Mrs.  Diamond's  voice  came  trailing  after  him 
stridently  indistinct.  There  was  going  to  be  a  rum- 
pus, Leuw  wondered  if  it  was  about  the  thing  that 
didn't  matter.  He  might  easily  find  out  by  going 
back;  but  listening  at  keyholes  was  not  in  his  line, 
despite  Mrs.  Diamond's  bright  example.  So  he  hur- 
ried to  get  out  of  all  possible  earshot,  only  to  defeat 
his  own  ends.  For,  as  he  got  into  the  street,  Mrs. 
Diamond's  words  banged  full  against  his  ear  through 
the  open  front  room  window. 

"  Why  I  didn't  take  the  job  myself?  I  suppose  you 
wanted  him  to  cut  my  throat  with  one  of  your 
slaughter  knives,.  Didn't  you  see  him  staring  black 
murder.  .  .  ." 

Here  the  window  came  down  with  a  crash,  ampu- 
tating the  rest  of  the  sentence.  Leuw  made  for  home 
without  any  further  waste  of  time.  He  was  sure  now 
that  his  mother's  message  was  due  to  no  delusion. 
His  certainty  was  confirmed  by  her  glance  of  expec- 
tancy as  he  entered. 

'  Ain't  they  a  bit  too  old  for  having  a  game  with 
people ?,:  he  said  carelessly,  jerking  his  head  Dia- 
mondward. 

"  I'm   sure  they  meant  it  for  the  best,"  said   Mrs. 
Lipcott,  anxiously  conciliating. 


144 


SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 


"  Dare  say  they  did,  if  I  only  knew  what." 

And  then  by  question  and  answer  it  was  elicited 
that  Leuw's  call  had  been  futile.  Mrs.  Lipcott  learnt 
it  with  dismay.  Having  persuaded  herself  that  Mrs. 
Diamond's  eloquence  would  prevail  upon  Leuw  to 
choose  another  and  more  supervised  occupation,  she 
had  during  his  absence  allowed  her  apprehension  at 
his  danger,  already  violently  set  agog,  to  grow  into 
a  full  swing.  And  now  it  depended  on  her  own  scant 
powers  of  argument  to  set  her  heart  at  rest  again. 
Well,  she  could  but  try.  Leuw  listened  to  her  atten- 
tively; she  could  always  count  on  that  much  from 
Leuw.  And  when  he  made  no  immediate  reply  to  her 
tale,  she  became  rather  hopeful  of  success. 

"What  do  you  think  about  it  yourself?"  asked 
Leuw  finally. 

"Oh!  I'm  not  afraid,"  she  prevaricated;  "but  you 
see  when  the  whole  neighborhood  talks  .  .  ." 

"  Well,  as  long  as  you're  satisfied,  we'll  let  it  talk, 
eh,  mother?  " 

Mrs.  Lipcott  said  yes,  but  she  looked  no;  and  Leuw 
saw  which  way  the  wind  was  blowing.  He  moved 
closer  to  her. 

"  You've  known  me  quite  a  long  time,  ain't  you, 
mother?  " 

Mrs.  Lipcott  could  not  repress  a  smile  at  the  quaint 
query. 

"  And  I've  been  a  good  sort  of  boy  mostly,  ain't  I, 
mother?"  continued  Leuw,  with  an  emphasis  on  the 
concluding  refrain. 

'  Not  mostly — always,"  was  the  earnest  reply. 

"  And  the  neighborhood  wants  to  make  you  think 
I've  got  tired  of  being  good.     Don't  you  fret,  mother; 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  145 

it's  only  what  the  neighborhood  says  about  everybody 
else,  too.     It  wouldn't  be  a  neighborhood  if  it  didn't." 

Mrs..  Lipcott  made  a  gesture,  which  might  be  either 
assent  or  dissent,  with  the  chances  in  favor  of  the 
former. 

"  Why,  I've  got  no  time  to  go  bad,"  said  Leuw 
hopefully;  "the  day's  only  just  long  enough  to  sell 
clean  out.  And  I  don't  like  to  take  any  remnants 
back  to  Christopher." 

Anxiously  he  looked  for  the  effect  of  his  words,  but 
Airs.  Lipcott's  head  drooped  low.  Leuw  became 
alarmed;  he  had  not  thought  his  mother  would  need 
so  much  convincing.     He  changed  his  tactics. 

"  Well,  if  you  very  much  want  me  to,  I'll  go  into 
'prentice.  But  I've  got  the  horribles  of  the  workshop. 
Didn't  you  always  say  it  killed  father?  " 

"  That  it  did,"  said  Mrs.  Lipcott  with  a  shudder. 
Leuw  took  courage  from  the  shudder. 

'  Now,  suppose  I  gave  you  my  word;  would  that 
be  any  good  to  you?" 

Mrs.  Lipcott  sat  up  resolutely.  "  No,  Leuw,  don't 
give  me  your  word,  I  don't  deserve  it;  I  am  a  foolish 
woman  that  doesn't  know  her  mind  for  five  minutes 
at  a  time.     It's  all  right,  Leuw;  we'll  let  'em  talk." 

"  And  they  only  meant  it  for  the  best,"  added  Leuw, 
rendered  magnanimous  by  his  victory. 

This  colloquy  was  a  memorable  one  for  Leuw,  inas- 
much as  in  time  to  come  he  could  look  back  on  it  as 
the  last  occasion'  on  which  his  right  of  initiative  was 
challenged. 

For  the  present,  however,  he  thought  it  due  to  him- 
self to  investigate  the  hidden  causes  of  this  attempt  to 
bully   him    into    submission.     He    did   not    anticipate 
10 


146  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

much  difficulty  in  the  search,  because,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  he  had  for  guide  a  conjecture  that  almost 
amounted  to  certainty. 

"  Going  out  again?"  said  Mrs.  Lipcott. 

"  Only  for  a  mouthful  of  fresh  air,"  replied  Leuw 
casually. 

A  sudden  fear  struck  Mrs.  Lipcott.  kk  Leuw,  you're 
not  going  over  to  Mrs.  Diamond's?" 

"  Not  if  I  know  it.  She'd  ask  me  to  sweep  up 
what's  left  of  Mr.  Diamond." 

Leuw  sauntered  leisurely  out  of  Narrow  Alley  into 
the  main  street.  Here  he  had  to  curtail  his  strides 
still  more,  for  he  was  in  the  midst  of  chaos  that  yelled 
and  wriggled  and  tumbled  about  him  in  male  and 
female  atoms  of  humanity.  The  scene  was  chiefly 
instructive  in  showing  the  infinite  gradations  of  small- 
nesses  through  which  one  must  pass  on  the  road  to 
adolescence.  The  shrill-voiced  turmoil  had  reached 
the  fever-heat,  which  always  heralded  the  impending 
break-up.  Already  there  were  sounds  of  lamentations 
as  recalcitrant  offspring  were  being  fished  out  of  the 
tumult,  and  hauled  home  to  bed  by  solicitous  mothers, 
who  had  spent  the  evening  pleasurably  if  not  profit- 
ably in  talking  scandal  on  the  door-steps. 

Skilfully  utilizing  the  gaps  left  by  these  removals — 
he  was  not  conceited  enough  to  think  they  were  due 
to  a  kindly  consideration  for  his  convenience — Leuw 
at  last  managed  to  reach  Dunk's  Row.  It  was  hither 
that  the  more  serious  and  sober-minded  of  the  local 
young  hopefuls  repaired  nightly  to  study  the  laws  of 
hazard  by  practical  experiments  with  buttons, 
marbles,  and  other  articles  of  current  value. 

There   was   a   report   that   these   last   included   the 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  I47 

humbler  coins  of  the  realm,  but  in  most  quarters  this 
was  looked  upon  only  as  a  clumsy  attempt  to  give  the 
locality  a  fictitious  reputation  for  wealth.  Here,  too, 
Leuw  was  certain  of  finding  Yellow  Joe,  whom  he 
wished  to  take  the  opposite  side  in  the  argument  about 
to  ensue. 

Yellow  Joe  was  there  right  enough,  but  he  was 
'  out  of  it,"  that  is,  he  was  not  playing,  having  lost  all 
his  available  capital.  It  did  not  argue  well  for  the 
reputation  he  enjoyed  among  his  comrades  for  fair 
dealings  that  he  was  not  allowed  to  play  "  owings." 
It  was  likewise  impossible  for  him  to  obtain  a  loan 
without  placing  a  heavy  security,  which,  however,  as 
a  rule,  only  shifted  the  impossibility  one  degree  back. 

'  Hullo,  Joe,"  said  Leuw,  shaving  against  him 
rather  closely. 

Yellow  Joe  turned  sharply.  "  That's  my  shoulder," 
he  snapped. 

"  Keep  it,"  Leuw  snapped  back. 

Yellow  Joe  meditated.  Dunk's  Row  saw  very  little 
of  Leuw. 

"  What  do  you  want?  "  he  asked. 

■  I  want  to  know  if  you're  the  neighborhood,"  re- 
plied Leuw,  gazing  at  him  hardily. 

'  Don't  come  any  o'  your  cannon  and  drums  on  me 
at  this  time  o'  night,"  said  Yellow  Joe,  his  whole  atten- 
tion seemingly  riveted  on  the  game. 

"  You  know  what  I  mean,  all  the  same,"  insinuated 
Leuw. 

"  No,  I — well  done,  Moey,  got  him  again,"  shouted 
Joe. 

Leuw  waited  a  moment  for  Yellow  Joe's  enthusiasm 
at  Moey's  achievement  to  cool  down. 


148  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  I  said  you  know  what  I  mean,"  he  then  repeated. 

44  Oh,  is  that  what  you  said?  It  was  worth  saying 
twice." 

Leuw's  patience  broke.  "  Who  told  his  mother  lies 
about  somebody,  and  whose  mother  went  and  told 
Mrs,.  Diamond?" 

Joe  appeared  to  consider  the  matter;  then  he  turned 
Leuw  gently  by  the  shoulder. 

44  See  that  lamp-post  there?"  he  asked,  pointing. 

"  I  ain't  blind,"  said  Leuw. 

<4  Well,  climb  up  to  the  top,  and  ask  the  gaslight. 
That'll  tell  you." 

"  I've  asked  it,  and  it  said  Yellow  Joe." 

Joe  laughed  artificially  before  he  remarked:  "  And  a 
jolly  good  job,  too.     What  now?  " 

"  What  now?  Nothing  much.  You'll  just  'poller- 
gize  to  me  before  the  whole  bang  lot." 

So  far  little  attention  had  been  paid  to  the  alterca- 
tion, owing  to  the  superior  attraction  of  the  game. 
But  "  apologize  "  was  a  word  so  rarely  heard  in  those 
circles,  and  so  much  more  rarely  acted  upon,  that  the 
novelty  of  the  thing  asserted  itself.  It  was  the  above- 
mentioned  Moey  who  asked  what  it  was  all  about. 
Leuw  laid  the  case  before  them.  During  his  narra- 
tive bets  were  rapidly  offered  and  taken  on  the  chance 
of  there  being  a  fight;  some  of  the  hardier  speculators 
even  went  so  far  as  to  risk  a  "  double  event "  by  wa- 
gering not  only  on  the  fight  but  also  on  the  victor. 
Leuw,  however,  was  favorite. 

"But  how  d'you  know  it  was  him?"  asked  Moey, 
who  was  of  the  peace  party. 

"  He  just  said  so,"  replied  Leuw. 

"  I  didn't,"  repudiated  Yellow  Joe. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  149 

"  Then  let's  go  round  to  Mrs.  Diamond  and  ask 
her,"  suggested  Leuw. 

But  Yellow  Joe,  with  an  obstinaey  which  certainly 
seemed  suspicious,  refused  this  confrontation  with 
Mrs.  Diamond.  Leuw  took  off  his  coat  with  a  most 
formidable  deliberation,  while  Moey  and  the  rest  of 
the  peace  party  frantically  clutched  their  brass  buttons 
so  as  to  enjoy  one  last  lingering  farewell  of  their  dar- 
lings. 

Yellow  Joe,  however,  was  still  making  up  his  mind. 
He  knew  Leuw's  accusation  was  well  founded.  He 
had  told  his  mother,  and  his  mother  had  told  Mrs. 
Diamond.  Jealousy  of  Leuw's  free  lance  life,  as  com- 
pared with  his  own  hand  and  foot  tied  drudgery  in  the 
workshop,  had  prompted  him.  Leuw  had  heightened 
it  by  hinting  to  him  of  his  intimate  relations  with  old 
Christopher  and  the  advantages  accruing  to  him  there- 
from. It  was  galling  to  be  outdone  in  enterprise  by 
a  mere  Leuw  Lipcott.  Leuw  Lipcott  must  be  reduced 
to  his  own  level;  and  Mrs.  Diamond  had  great  influ- 
ence with  Leuw's  mother,  and  would  be  only  too  glad 
to  exercise  it.  Had  she  succeeded?  That  he  would 
know  to-morrow. 

*  Go  it,  Joe,"  suddenly  roared  the  war  faction. 

Ah!  of  course,  meantime  he  was  to  fight;  and  with 
Leuw — with  Leuw  .of  the  supernatural  penetration, 
Leuw  of  the  righteous  cause,  Leuw  of  the  long  arms 
and  knuckly-looking  fists.     He  didn't  like  it. 

"  Go  it,  he'll  catch  cold  in  his  shirt  sleeves,"  roared 
the  war  faction  once  more. 

Yellow  Joe  liked  it  still  less ;  Leuw  was  to  keep  him- 
self warm  by  pummeling  him.  Desperately  he 
grasped  the  lapels  of  his  jacket  preliminary  to  doffing 


J  5o 


SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 


it.  Then  his  face  lit  up  with  the  brightness  of  a  sud- 
den idea — only  to  be  darkened  again  presently  by  a 
scowl  of  sullen  resignation,  rendered  more  specious 
by  the  limp  dropping  of  his  hands. 

"  I  don't  care;  he  can  hit  me  if  he  likes.  I  won't 
hit  him  back,"  he  burst  out. 

Of  course,  the  war  faction  wanted  to  know  the  rea- 
son why — in  fact,  insisted  upon  it  rather  fiercely. 

Yellow  Joe  gave  them  a  look — the  sort  of  look  with 
which  the  early  martyrs  probably  tried  to  shame  the 
lions  in  the  arena. 

"  For  why?  "  he  echoed.  "  Because  he's  a  Jew  and 
I'm  a  Jew;  and  the  man  what  preached  last  Sabbath 
in  our  synagogue  said  we  got  quite  enough  hard 
knocks  from  the  Christians  without  banging  each 
other  about." 

A  howl  of  derision  from  the  war  faction  greeted  the 
explanation,  and  even  the  peace  party,  while  admiring 
its  ingenuity,  had  to  admit  that  it  was  scarcely  strong 
enough  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  occasion.  All 
eyes  wrere  turned  on  Leuw,  wTith  whom,  rested  the 
further  developments  of  the  case.  ' 

Leuw  responded  by  demanding  his  coat  back  from 
his  second  and  putting  it  on  again  amid  a  hush  of  ex- 
pectation.    He  broke  it  by  saying: 

"  You're  quite  right,  Joe ;  we  oughtn't  to  bang  each 
other  about     Good-night." 

He  walked  off  rapidly,  and  left  silence  in  his  place; 
until  Moey  spoke  up,  saying  it  wasn't  fair,  and  they 
ought  never  to  have  betted  on  such  a  thing.  As 
regarded  himself,  he  would  never  take  the  forfeit  to 
which  he  was  entitled  by  the  terms  of  the  betting. 
Fired  by  his  noble  example,  the  rest  of  the  peace  party 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  151 

also  agreed  to  remit  their  due — a  remission  which  the 
war  faction  accepted  with  rather  shameless  alacrity. 

Yellow  Joe  looked  round  and  found  himself  alone. 
What  had  happened?  There  had  been  no  fight,  and 
he  had  had  no  licking.  But  all  the  same  he  felt  that 
Leuw  had  once  more  had  the  best  of  him.  Probably 
the  others  had  gone  after  him  to  tell  him  so. 

And  then  Yellow  Joe  slunk  off  home  sore  and  chaf- 
ing, but  comforting  himself  with  the  knowledge — ac- 
quired by  bitter  experience — that  your  luck  must  turn 
if  you  only  play  long  enough. 

He  would  play  Leuw  a  little  longer. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

It  was  now  five  weeks  since  Leuw  had  established 
himself  as  a  bona-fide  man  of  business.  The  board 
and  lodging  rates,  which,  as  arranged,  he  paid  his 
mother,  enabled  the  household  to  steer  an  easier 
course  and  to  keep  clear  of  "  chalk  "  at  the  trades- 
men's. The  landlord,  too,  was  beginning  to  hold 
up  the  Lipcotts  as  a  model  of  punctual  solvency  to  the 
remaining  tenants. 

During  the  time  Leuw  had  naturally  seen  a  great 
deal  of  old  Christopher  Donaldson.  In  their  more 
introspective  moments  they  were  themselves  surprised 
at  the  degree  of  intimacy  to  which  they  had  attained. 
Leuw  ascribed  it  readily  to  the  unifying  influence  of 
Sol  Myers,  whose  name  was  never  very  far  from  their 
talk.  But  old  Christopher,  while  admitting  Sol 
Myers  as  a  fortunate  accident,  thought  there  must  be 
some  more  subtle  cause  which  reached  down  to  the 
very  root  of  the  matter;  and  the  mystery  of  it  wor- 
ried him  greatly.  He  discarded  theory  after  theory, 
till  at  last,  the  evening  which  followed  the  abortive 
encounter  between  Yellow  Joe  and  Leuw,  he  greeted 
the  latter  on  his  entry  with  an  excited: 

"  I've  got  it,  boy!  " 

"  Have  you?'  asked  Leuw  eagerly,  tumbling  at 
once  to  old  Christopher's  drift. 

Yes,  got  it,"  reiterated  the  old  man,  rubbing  his 
hands  gleefully;  "  it's  because  me  and  you  are  first 
cousins  sort  of." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  153 

Leuw  looked  blankly  disappointed.  He  had  hoped 
for  a  more  feasible  suggestion,  and  Christopher's  dis- 
eovery  did  not  carry  conviction  on  the  face  of  it. 

"You  don't  see  it?''  asked  Christopher,  simply 
gloating  over  his  perplexity.  "  Wait  a  minute.  What 
are  you?  A  'Ebrew.  What  am  I?  A  Scotchman 
what  Lunnon  has  got  hold  on,  and  made  a  blessed 
cockney  to  the  very  tip  of  his  tongue — the  Lord  for- 
give me  for  it.     Well,  d'you  see  now?' 

"  I  think  I'm  just  beginning  to,"  temporized  Leuw. 

"  Now,  look  here,  boy."  The  admonition  was  un- 
necessary, because  Leuw  was  already  staring  at  him 
as  hard  as  he  could. 

"  It's  my  opinion  as  we  Scotch  folk  is  them  Lost 
Ten  Tribes  what  all  the  world's  been  looking  for 
high  and  low  ever  since." 

"  By  gum,  I  never  thought  of  that,"  cried  Leuw  car- 
ried away  by  the  boldness  of  the  idea. 

'  And  it  gave  my  brains  many  a  twist  before  I  got 
to  it,  I  can  tell  you,"  admitted  Christopher. 

"  Now,  what  is  the  course  of  my  argyment?  "  he 
continued.  "  I  looked  at  the  Scotchman,  and  I  looked 
at  the  Jew.  Hang  me,  says  I  to  myself — they're 
baked  in  the  same  oven.  The  Scotchman's  got  a 
way  of  getting  on  mostly  when  he's  made  up  his  mind 
to  it — so  has  the  'Ebrew.  The  Scotchman's  steady 
and  sober,  not  shipping  more  liquor  nor  what  he  can 
carry — so  does  the  'Ebrew.  Now,  how  does  that  strike 
you  for  argyment?" 

There's  a  lot  in  it,"  replied  Leuw,  a  little  absently, 
because  he  was  trying  to  work  the  thing  out  for  him- 
self, and  also  pursuing  an  idea  of  his  own. 

"  I  should  think  there  was.     There's  a  lot  of  can- 


154  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

didates  for  the  glory  of  being  them  Lost  Ten  Tribes; 
there's  the  English  and  the  Welsh  and  folks  over  seas. 
But  it's  our'n  right  enough.  Only  being  'cute,  we 
keep  mum — don't  brag  about  it.  That's  how  we  get 
God's  blessing  on  the  sly,  as  it  were,  being  the  seed 
of  Abraham  and  prospering  accordingly;  and  likewise 
don't  get  badgered  about,  like  what  you  hear  about 
your  brother  'Ebrews  in  foreign  parts,  more's  the 
shame." 

Yes — no,"  said  Leuw,  still  deep  in  thought. 

"  More's  the  shame,"  echoed  Christopher.  "  There's 
a  way  of  treating  the  people  what  invented  the  Book, 
and  made  the  world  a  present  of  the  patent!  And 
then  it  goes  and  pokes  fun  at  'em  for  having  long 
noses.  Of  course  you  must  get  a  long  nose  if  every 
jackanapes  gives  a  pull  at  it  whenever  the  fit  takes 
him.  And  what  does  your  'Ebrew  do?  Gives  a  yell? 
Oh!  no.  He  just  takes  no  notice,  biding  his  time, 
knowing  as  the  longest  lane  must  have  a  turning;  and 
he's  been  through  a  long  lane  or  two  in  his  time,  eh, 
boy?" 

"  He  has,"  assented  Leuw,  to  whom  the  history  of 
his  people  was  no  closed  book. 

"  Yes,  that's  what  he's  special  good  at — keeping  of 
himself  quiet  and  well-behaved,"  continued  Chris- 
topher's reflections;  "quiet  and  well-behaved.  And 
I  am  not  the  only  one  what  says  so.  Ask  the  coroners 
and  the  police.  D'you  remember  what  these  places 
hereabouts  was  like  forty  odd  years  ago?  Of  course 
you  don't;  but  I  do.  It  was  just  like  old  Beelzebub 
had  taken  the  lid  off  hell,  and  had  let  all  his  pet  sin- 
ners out  for  a  holiday.  There  wasn't  a  night  passed 
without  some  shindy  or  murder  or  mutilation  down 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  155 

one  of  those  alleys,  and  no  '  eopper  '  before  starting 
night  duty  thought  of  ordering  next  morning's  break- 
fast, because  he  wasn't  sure  he'd  be  there  to  eat  it. 
And  just  theriabouts  you  'Ebrews  began  to  show  up, 
dribbling  in  at  first  one  by  one,  and  then  more  and 
more,  and  by  and  by  whole  shoals  of  'em — well,  God 
knows  how  they  worked  it,  but  presently  all  the  wick- 
edness began  to  scurry  away  like  rats  when  the  day- 
light shines  in  through  the  pantry-window — the  devil 
knows  where  it  scurried  to — and  then  things  became 
quiet  and  nice  and  respectable,  and  I  left  off  sleeping 
at  nights  behind  the  counter  and  sold  my  six-shooter 
— oh!  yes,  that's  what  you  'Ebrews  did  for  Spitalfields, 
and  I'd  just  like  the  bloke  what  pops  up  every  session 
with  a  bill  against  this  'ere  Alien  Immigration  to  make 
a  note  of  it.  All  of  which  goes  to  prove,  if  you  look 
at  it  in  the  proper  way,  as  Scotchmen  and  'Ebrews  is 
first  cousins  by  right  of  Auld  Lang  Syne." 

"  Strikes  me,"  said  Leuw,  who  by  this  time  had 
worked  out  his  idea,  "  strikes  me  that  if  the  Scotchies 
and  the  Jews  was  to  put  their  heads  together,  they'd 
make  the  world  sit  up — don't  you  think  so?" 

Old  Christopher,  treating  the  suggestion  as  a  joke 
and  wishing  to  humor  Leuw,  threw  back  his  head 
preparatory  to  one  of  his  rafter-shaking  guffaws.  In 
the  process,  however,  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  Leuw's 
grave,  nay,  anxious  face,  and  his.  jaws  shut  again 
with  a  snap.  He  paused  to  consider  the  matter  in  its 
new  light. 

"  It'd  be  a  good  thing — if  it  could  be  managed — a 
good  thing,"  he  declared  solemnly. 

"  Yes,"  said  Leuw  and  was  about  to  continue  when 
apparently  he  changed  his  mind,  and  wound  up  in- 
stead with  a  rather  abrupt: 


156  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

"  Good  night,  I  must  get  home." 

"Goodnight,  cousin  Leuw,"  replied  Christopher. 

Leuw  sent  back  a  tremulous  smile  in  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  allusion  and  hurried  on ;  while  Christopher 
betook  himself  once  more  to  the  tinkering  up  of  his 
old  toys,  scratching  his  head  and  feeling  uncomfort- 
able beneath  the  burden  of  a  new  problem,  which 
might  prove  more  obstreperous  than  the  one  he  had 
just  solved  with  so  much  tribulation  of  mind. 

Leuw's  progress  homeward  was  interrupted,  just 
as  he  was  crossing  the  High  Street,  by  the  sight  of  a 
penny  museum  which  had  opened  business  that  even- 
ing. He  "  walked  up  " — to  use  the  strictly  technical 
expression — but  only  to  where  he  could  view  at  easy 
range  the  posters,  which,  by  the  mere  stridency  of 
their  coloring,  seemed  to  cry  out  shame  on  all  doubts 
as  to  the  genuineness  of  the  miracles  within.  He  had 
a  fugitive  idea  that  it  would  be  nice  and  colleague-like 
to  give  a  fledgeling  concern  the  encouragement  of 
his  custom;  but  then  he  was  hardly  yet  in  a  position 
to  permit  himself  the  luxury  of  expensive  amuse- 
ments,. And  besides,  the  pictures  gave  one  so  high 
an  expectation,  that  possibly  the  originals  might  not 
come  up  to  them;  and  it  would  certainly  be  in  the 
truer  interests  of  the  show  to  avoid  being  disappointed 
in  it. 

Nevertheless,  to  eschew  any  untoward  temptation, 
Leuw  turned  sharply  away.  The  sharp  turn  caused 
him  to  collide  with  a  youth  about  his  own  age,  who, 
with  a  companion,  was  devouring  the  poster  depicting 
the  two-horned  chicken. 

'Who  are  you  ashovin'  of?"  demanded  the  other 
half  of  the  collision  unamiably. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  157 

"  I'm  very  sorry — I  didn't  mean  to,"  apologized 
Leuw. 

'  Didn't  mean  to?  What  do  you  want  to  get  into 
people's  way  for?  Why  don't  you  pack  up  and  go 
back  to  your  own  country?  " 

The  companion  here  interposed  with  a  snort  of  dis- 
gust. 

"  Question  to  ask!  "  he  jeered.  "  Why  'e  don't  go 
back  to  'is  country?  Don't  you  know  as  a  bloomin' 
Jew  ain't  got  no  bloomin'  country?  " 

"  Thought  as  they  lived  in  a  place  called  Jerus'lem," 
said  the  first  speaker. 

"  They  did,  till  they  got  kicked  out  for  not  behavin' 
o'  theirselves  properly/' 

Leuw  listened  quietly  to  the  duologue,  deliberating 
whether  to  go  away,  or,  if  not,  what  attitude  to  take 
up.  The  first  alternative  was  safer,  but  it  would  leave 
a  stain  on  the  national  'scutcheon  for  which  he  would 
afterwards  have  to  deal  with  his  conscience.  No,  he 
would  stay  and  see  the  thing  out.  He  faced  the  two 
squarely. 

"  Oh !  no — you're  quite  wrong,"  he  said.  "  We 
weren't  kicked  out.  Only  Jerusalem  was  getting  too 
small  for  us,  so  we  came  out  to  buy  up  the  whole 
world  to  do  with  what  we  liked.  We've  got  about  a 
quarter  of  it  already." 

His  defiance  in  mien  and  voice  flabbergasted  the 
two  anti-Semites—but  not  for  long. 

"  Bli'  me,  Bill,  did  you  'ear  that?"  asked  the  first 
of  them. 

"  Crickey,  there's  cheek  for  you!"  exclaimed  the 
second.  "  If  I  was  you,  Slimy,  I'd  knock  that  ugly 
old  cocoanut  of  'is'n  into  the  gutter," 


i58  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

"  Go  it,  give  'im  what  for,"  said  the  museum  mana- 
ger encouragingly. 

A  fight  meant  a  crowd;  and  a  crowd  was  the  very 
thing  he  wanted  about  his  establishment. 

"  Bill,  see  'e  don't  cut  and  run  while  I  take  my  coat 
off,"  shouted  Slimy. 

The  admonition,  however,  was  quite  unnecessary. 
Leuw  made  no  move  to  escape,.  He  had  expected 
this,  in  fact,  had  brought  it  upon  himself  wilfully  and 
knowingly.  It  was  quite  a  coincidence  to  be  em- 
broiled in  a  fight  on  two  successive  evenings.  Only 
this  time  it  was  coming  off  in  earnest.  Well,  could 
one  wish  for  anything  better  than  to  strike  for  the 
glory  of  one's  people?  The  showman  smirked  de- 
lightedly; the  anticipated  crowd  was  beginning  to 
collect.  The  rampant  Slimy  was  exchanging  a  few 
preliminary  spars  with  the  air,  when  a  stentorian 
voice  said: 

"  Now,  then,  Slimy  Nipper — up  to  your  pranks 
again?     Clear,  or  I'll  .  .  ." 

That  was  as  far  as  the  voice  got,  for  the  Slimy 
Nipper  had  disappeared  with  the  speed  which,  for 
marvelousness,  could  give  all  the  exhibits  of  the 
grumbling  showman  a  long  start  and  an  easy  beating. 

"  Lucky  I  came  up,"  said  the  constable  good- 
naturedly  to  Leuw.  '  He'd  have  punched  a  hole  right 
through  you." 

Leuw  walked  off,  not  at  all  grateful  for  what  the 
constable  called  his  luck.  He  felt  as  if  somebody  had 
wrapped  him  up  in  cotton  wool,  and  had  put  him  away 
in  a  safe  place.  What  consoled  him  somewhat  was 
that  he  had  probably  escaped  a  black  eye;  and  black 
eyes  would  have  given  a  fillip  to  his  mother's  allayed 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  159 

suspicions,  and  he  had  an  idea  that  his  people  could 
more  comfortably  bear  another  insult  or  two  than  his 
mother  the  pang  of  a  fresh  uncertainty. 

As  Leuw,  next  morning,  sallied  out  of  Narrow 
Alley  on  his  way  to  business,  he  almost  ran  into 
Yellow  Joe's  arms. 

"  Hullo,  Joe,"  he  cried  cheerily.  "  Been  waiting 
for  me  long?  " 

"  Who  says  I've  been  waiting  for  you?  "  growled 
Yellow  Joe,  somewhat  disconcerted,  however.  And 
then,  mumbling  unintelligibly,  he  quickly  crossed 
over  to  the  other  side. 

Leuw  gave  a  ringing  laugh,  not  of  derision  but  of 
amusement.  It  was  certainly  comical  to  see  Yellow 
Joe  play  the  injured  innocent.  Leuw  had  quite  for- 
given him.  To  harbor  resentment  against  a  person 
like  Yellow  Joe  was  an  absurd  waste  of  energy. 
Briskly  he  stepped  out,  and  in  another  moment  or 
two  had  walked  Yellow  Joe  clean  out  of  his  head. 
When  he  reached  Christopher's  shop  he  found  it  still 
closed;  so  he  planted  himself  with  his  back  to  the 
door,  and  announced  his  presence  by  a  succession  of 
vigorous  heel-taps.  At  the  same  time  his  glance 
roved  idly  down  the  street.  Suddenly  he  gave  a  start, 
and  his  rubadub  came  to  an  abrupt  stop.  On  the 
other  side  of  the  street,  a  little  way  down,  stood  a  dray 
cart;  and  from  behind  the  dray  cart  Leuw  thought  he 
saw  Yellow  Joe  peeping  at  him.  However,  the  crowds 
of  people  passing  in  both  directions  made  his  impres- 
sion very  uncertain;  moreover,  he  was  only  vouch- 
safed a  momentarv  glimpse,  for  the  peeping  head  dis- 
appeared at  the  first  sign  of  having  attracted  atten- 
tion.    Leuw  had  half  made  up  his  mind  to  go  over 


160  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

and  see,  when  the  "  stump,  stump  "  of  Christopher 
inside  the  shop  aroused  him  to  the  superior  claims  of 
wage-earning  over  the  unprofitable  gratification  of  an 
idle  curiosity. 

Leuw  was  a  little  surprised  at  Christopher's  un- 
wonted taciturnity  towards  him,  which  continued  for 
the  next  two  or  three  days;  but  ascribing  it  to  some 
mood  of  the  old  man  with  which  he  had  not  previously 
made  acquaintance,  he  passed  it  over  without  com- 
ment. Least  of  all  did  he  connect  the  cause  of  it 
with  himself.  But,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  Christopher's 
chariness  of  speech  was  due  to  his  hard  tussle  with 
the  problem  which  Leuw  had  foisted  upon  him  a  few 
evenings  back.  He  knew  that  a  simple  question  to 
Leuw  would  dispose  of  it  at  once,  but  he  preferred 
taxing  his  own  powers  of  perception — just  by  way  of 
mental  exercise.  He  had  made  some  headway 
already;  he  hoped  to  come  to  the  bottom  of  it  by  the 
middle  of  the  following  week. 

Meanwhile,  however,  something  else  occurred 
which  had  to  be  attended  to  at  once.~  A  communica- 
tion reached  Christopher  which  had  to  be  answered. 
He  answered  it,  somewhat  peculiarly,  by  asking  Leuw 
one  morning  to  take  charge  of  the  shop,  as  he  himself 
was  going  out  for  the  day. 

"  Anything   happened?'    enquired   Leuw. 

"  What  do  you  expect  to  happen?  I'm  taking  a 
day  off,  that's  all,"  replied  Christopher. 

"  But  there's  Sunday,"  pointed  out  Leuw. 

'  I  know  there  is ;  only  I  want  to  see  what  a  week- 
day holiday  feels  like." 

Leuw  looked  the  reluctance  he  felt.  Not  that  he 
was  unwilling  to  do  his  friend  a  favor,  but  the  idea 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  161 

of  having  the  shop  under  his  unqualified  control  for  a 
whole  twelve  hours  made  him  uncomfortable. 

Christopher  was  no  penman,  and  so  he  kept  no 
books,  and  took  no  stock  of  the  thousand  and  one 
articles  contained  in  the  shop.  It  was  really  quite  a 
big  shop  when  one  came  to  think  of  it.  All  these 
would  be  at  Leuw's  mercy,  together  with  the  till;  for 
how  was  Christopher  going  to  check  the  day's  sales 
against  any  account  Leuw  chose  to  render  him? 

'What's  the  matter?"  asked  Christopher.  "You 
shan't  lose  anything.  I'll  pay  you  half  a  crown  for 
the  job." 

"  It  isn't  that,"  said  Leuw,  and  told  him  his  real 
objection. 

1  That's  my  business,"   replied   Christopher  curtly. 

After  that,  of  course,  Leuw  could  no  longer  refuse. 
He  needed  no  instructions,  because  he  had  long  ago 
acquired  all  the  details  of  price,  and  could  lay  his  hand 
on  any  required  article  with  eyes  shut.  Soon  he  was 
busy.  What  surprised  him  greatly  was  the  taking 
capacity  of  the  shop,  the  extent  of  which  he  had  never 
suspected,  By  midday  five  shillings  and  two-pence 
had  come  in,  and  by  tea-time  the  returns  had  swollen 
to  nine  and  eight.  Leuw  enjoyed  the  feeling  of  re- 
sponsibility to  the  full.  Once  or  twice  he  had  even 
got  so  far  as  to  imagine  that  this  prosperous  concern 
was  all  his  own,  till  the  entrance  of  a  customer  and  an 
enquiry  into  the  meaning  of  Mr.  Donaldson's  ab- 
sence ruthlessly  shattered  his  illusion.  If  Christopher 
were  only  sharp  enough  to  catch  at  the  hint  which 
Leuw  had  thrown  out  to  him  the  other  night,  and 
which  Leuw  had  lacked  courage  to  put  into  plainer 
terms!  It  would  certainly  have  made  him  happier  to 
n 


1 62  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

know  that,  although  Christopher  was  not  sharp 
enough  at  the  time,  he  had  put  his  mind  to  the  grind- 
stone ever  since. 

True  to  his  word,  Christopher  returned  punctually 
at  closing  time.  Leuw  eagerly  held  out  to  him  the 
list  of  items  he  had  jotted  down  as  each  was  sold. 
But  Christopher  waved  it  aside,  and  somewhat  por- 
tentously took  out  of  his  pocket  a  square-folded  piece 
of  paper. 

"  It's  answered  now,"  he  said. 

"  What  is?  "  asked  Leuw,  gazing  at  him  astonished. 

"  This  is.  Read."  And  Christopher  thrust  the 
paper  into  his  hands.  It  was  scrawled  over  with 
hand-printed  characters,  evidently  intended  to  throw 
the  scent  off  their  origin,  and  they  said: 

"  Beware  of  a  party  what  calls  himself  Leuw  Lipcott. 
He  ain't  no  good.  He  does  you  brown  right  and 
left,  which  he  brags  of  it  to  the  other  boys,  helping 
himself  to  whatever  he  can  lay  his  hands  on,  and 
once  he  stole  a  suvring  from  the  money-box  when  you 
wasn't  looking.     Chuck  him  or  you're  a  rooned  man." 

Leuw  read  it  to  the  end,  and  looked  up  at  Chris- 
topher without  a  tremor. 

ik  Found  it  on  the  counter  vesterday  dinner  time," 
explained  Christopher,  "  and  this  was  my  little  way 
of  answering  it." 

'Oh!  Mr.  Donaldson,"  exclaimed  Leuw. 

Christopher  held  up  his  hand  warningly.  "  No, 
none  of  that!  It's  done  with.  Here's  your  half- 
crown  and  be  off,  or  I'll  fall  asleep  standing.  Green- 
wich Park  hills  all  day  is  too  much  for  a  man  with 
only  one  leg,  I  sav,  you  can  have  this,  too,  if  you 
like." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  163 

Leuw  took  the  anonymous  letter  and  went.  He 
was  so  much  impressed  by  old  Christopher's  drastic 
way  of  settling  the  incident  that  he  did  not  give  a 
thought  to  what  course  of  action  he  should  adopt 
against  his  would-be  defamer.  Indeed,  the  question 
only  came  home  to  him  when  he  saw  Yellow  Joe 
hanging  about  the  mouth  of  Narrow  Alley.  Of  course 
he  would  be  there,  thought  Leuw,  to  see  how  the 
thing  had  gone  off.  But  Leuw's  first  impulse  was  to 
rush  up  to  the  anonymous  correspondent  and  thank 
him  effusively;  he  argued  that  if  a  man  does  you  a 
good  turn,  it  does  not  matter  that  his  intentions  were 
bad.  Then  the  humorous  aspect  of  the  case  struck 
him;  he  would  at  least  have  a  little  fun  with  Yellow 
Joe.  So,  assuming  a  woe-begone  mien,  he  turned  the 
corner  of  the  Alley  in  ostentatious  disconsolateness. 

"  What's  the  matter,  old  pard?  "  enquired  Joe  sym- 
pathetically. 

"  I'm  done  for,"  moaned  Leuw. 

li  What's  up  now?  " 
That  old  bloke  I  used  to  deal  with  has  given  me  the 
kick;  won't  trust  me  any  more.     Said  I  was  a  thief. 
Now  you  know  I  ain't  a  thief,  don't  you,  Joe?  " 

"  Never  heard  anybody  say  anything  against  you 
that  way,"  replied  Joe,  trying  to  find  out  what  made 
the  street-lamp  flicker  so. 

"  P>tit  he  might  take  me  on  again  if  I  brought  him 
a  character  from  somebody,"  went  on  Leuw.  "  Where 
am  I  to  get  it  from?  Now,  if  you're  a  friend  of  mine, 
Joe,  you'll  do  me  a  favor  and  write  a  couple  of  lines, 
and  I'll  say  they're  from  a  Reverend,  eh?  " 
'  My  writing  ain't  good  enough,"  said  Joe. 

"  Oh,  you  needn't  write  it,  you  can  print  it,  you 
know,"  was  the  quick  reply. 


l64  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

From  merely  flickering,  the  street-lamp  seemed  all  at 
once  to  break  out  into  a  fantastic  dance. 

"  The  idea!  "  quavered  Joe.  "  Printing!  He'd  find 
out  in  a  minute." 

"Well,  then,  the  least  you  might  do  is  to  put  your 
name  to  this,  and  say  it's  all  bunkum." 

Joe  cast  a  glance  at  his  handiwork  with  which  Leuw 
suddenly  confronted  him,  gave  a  yell,  and  took  to  his 
heels.  With  a  smile  of  self-congratulation  Leuw 
walked  on.  But  he  had  hardly  cleared  the  Alley 
entrance,  when  he  felt  a  sharp  tug  at  his  shoulder. 
He  turned  and  saw  Yellow  Joe's  eyes  gleaming 
strangely  into  his  own. 

"  You'll  be  the  death  o'  me  one  of  these  days,"  he 
heard  him  gasp  at  the  same  time. 

"Oh!     How's  that?" 

"  You'll  make  me  bu'st  with  yer  quizzin'.  Why 
don't  yer  get  in  a  wax  with  me  and  have  me  locked 
up?"  " 

"What?  A  Jew  lock  up  a  Jew  -f  or  wanting  to  do 
him  harm?     Not  I." 

"  Well,  then,  if  you  won't  lock  me  up,  p'raps  " — 
Joe  stammered — "  p'raps  you'll  shake  hands  with  me." 

"  That  I'll  do,"  replied  Leuw.     And  he  did. 

"  You  might  do  something  else." 

"What's  that?" 

"  Give  me  back  my — my  letter." 

Leuw  stole  at  him  a  quick  glance  of  suspicion. 
"  What  d'you  want  it  for?  " 

"  To  look  at  when  I  feel  spiteful  ag'inst  anybody," 
replied  Yellow  Joe. 

Leuw  handed  it  to  him  without  a  word.  Equally 
silently  Joe  took  it  and  departed.     When  Leuw  finally 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  165 

got  to  his  supper  that  evening,  he  felt  he  had  worked 
unusually  hard  to  deserve  it.  For,  in  addition  to  the 
day's  honest  toil,  had*  he  not  rubbed  the  world  cleaner 
of  just  one  speck  of  evil? — which  is  a  great  achieve- 
ment even  for  the  greatest  of  men.  He  thought  of  the 
strengthening  of  the  tie  between  himself  and  Chris- 
topher, the  result  of  Yellow  Joe's  iniquitous  designs; 
he  also  thought  of  Yellow  Joe's  newly-found  grace 
and  contrition,  the  outcome  of  a  half-hearted  jest. 
And  he  concluded  the  Great  Power  which  ordered  the 
tangled  courses  of  the  stars  showed  almost  greater 
by  guiding  the  crooked  bent  of  the  petty  human  brain 
to  a  straight  issue. 

It  is  true  that  Christopher  had  timed  himself  to 
arrive  at  the  solution  of  his  problem  by  the  middle  of 
the  week  following.  But  whether  he  had  had  an  inspira- 
tion, or  whether  his  outing  had  shaken  up  his  latent 
faculties,  he  was  able  to  greet  Leuw  next  morning — 
a  Friday — with  the  information  that  he  had  some- 
thing very  special  to  say  to  him  that  afternoon.  The 
season  was  now  the  beginning  of  autumn,  and  the 
Sabbath  came  in  pretty  early.  So-  Leuw  presented 
himself  at  the  shop  a  little  after  five,  hoping  that  Chris- 
topher's "  something  very  special  "  would  not  detain 
him  long,  as  he  did  not  care  to  miss  Evening  Service 
at  the  synagogue.  Without  it  he  hardly  felt  com- 
plete; for  it  was  in  the  little  sanctuary  that  he  best 
seemed  able  to  find  and  collect  himself,  bit  by  bit,  as 
it  were,  after  the  dizzying  turmoil  of  the  working  week. 
But  when  Christopher  motioned  him  into  the  little 
laboratory  behind,  he"  knew  that  the  interview  was 
likely  to  be  a  lengthy  one. 

"  Sit  down,"  directed  Christopher,  at  the  same  time 


166  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

seating  himself  to  face  Leuw.  He  began  by  saying- 
nothing,  but  by  favoring  Leuw  with  a  protracted  and 
sort  of  wiseacre  stare  across  the  breadth  of  the  table. 
Leuw  sat  as  for  his  photograph. 

"  I  thought  Fd  get  to  it  at  last,"  finally  observed 
Christopher,  with  a  knowing  shake  of  the  head. 

"  Get  to  what?  "  of  course  enquired  Leuw. 

"  The  other  day,  talking  about  Jews  and  Scotch- 
men you  happened  to  remark — not  by  accident  neither 
— that  if  the  two  was  to  put  their  heads  together 
they'd  do  great  things." 

Leuw  started  up,  but  Christopher  hushed  him  with 
a  wave  of  his  hand,  and  continued: 

"  Now,  you're  a  Jew  and  Fm  a  Scotchman,  and 
you  thought  as  we  might  try  the  idea  on  a  small 
scale." 

Leuw  flushed  up.  "  Beg  your  pardon,  Mr.  Don- 
aldson— I  know  it  was  awful  cheek  .  .  ." 

"  Silence!  "  roared  Christopher.  "  And,  what's  more, 
I've  made  up  my  mind  to  try  it.  From  next  Monday 
this  'ere  concern  starts  as  Donaldson  &  Lipcott,  or 
the  other  way  round  if  you  like.  And  the  terms  is: 
half  profits  to  the  penny." 

"  I  won't  take  it,  Mr.  Donaldson,"  cried  Leuw  hotly; 
"  it's  robbing  you !  " 

"  Well,  I  can  get  myself  robbed  of  my  own  money, 
if  I  like,  can't  I?"  shouted  back  Christopher.  ki  But 
don't  think  you'll  only  just  have  to  put  your  hand  in 
my  pocket  and  take  it  out  again.  You'll  have  to  work 
your  level  best  for  it;  mind  that." 

'  It   isn't    fair,"  remonstrated    Leuw.     "  You    give 
everything,  and  what  d'you  get  from  me?  " 

1  I  get  your  brains,  and  that's  the  best  capital  of  all, 
because   it's    current   coin   everywhere.     It's   no    use, 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  167 

Leuw,  you  can't  choke  me  off,  I  know  what  I'm  about; 
and  if  you  contradict  me  again,  I'll  jolly  well  court- 
martial  you  for  insubordination." 

Leuw  did  not  contradict,  because  he  was  growing 
quite  dumb  as  the  full  drift  of  Christopher's  offer  came 
borne  upon  him. 

Christopher  noticed  it,  and,  in  order  to  give  him 
time  to  recover,  discussed  the  arrangement  in  a  prac- 
tical, matter-of-fact  sort  of  way  that  was  most  re-as- 
suring. And  presently  Leuw  joined  in,  sparingly  at 
first,  then  more  volubly,  until  he  ousted  Christopher 
altogether,  and  let  his  schemes,  hopes,  and  aspirations 
for  the  new  venture  break  loose  and  run  riot.  Chris- 
topher listened  smilingly;  then  he  said: 

"  You're  just  a  runaway  young  colt.  Never  mind, 
I'll  know  how  to  keep  a  taut  bridle." 

That  sobered  Leuw,  and  made  him  remember  that  it 
was  wrong  of  him  to  keep  all  his  joy  to  himself.  He 
was  much  too  late  for  synagogue,  but  he  and  his 
mother  would  that  evening  hold  a  thanksgiving  ser- 
vice of  their  own,  which  would  exalt  their  mean  little 
dwelling-place  to  the  rank  and  dignity  of  a  golden- 
domed  temple. 

Christopher  saw  him  as  far  as  the  door,  holding  his 
hand  all  the  while;  there  he  bent  down  and  whispered 
confidentially: 

"  Don't  you  see?  I've  got  to  do  something  to  get 
even  with  Syd  Mitchell,  or  else  he  mightn't  talk  to  me 
when  we  meet  later  on." 

Leuw  got  home,  at  one  stride,  as  it  seemed  to  him, 
and  stormed  up  the  staircase  as  if  to  test  what  amount 
of  ricketing  it  would  really  survive.  As  he  bounded 
into  the  room,  his  mother  faced  him  with  a  smiling 
trepidation  that  looked  odd.     What  also  puzzled  him 


1 68  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

was  that  the  door  of  the  scullery  cupboard  was  flung 
back,  exposing  to  view  the  odds  and  ends  of  house- 
hold necessaries,  a  most  unusual  thing — especially  on 
a  Sabbath  eve — to  be  countenanced  by  that  model  of 
order  and  tidiness  whom  he  was  privileged  to  call 
mother.     Then  he  guessed. 

"  Phil's  behind  there,"  he  exclaimed  promptly. 

With  a  joyous  laugh  at. the  failure  of  the  surprise, 
Phil  sprang  forward  into  Leuw's  embrace.  Leuw, 
however,  drew  back  startled.  Was  this  stylish  young 
gentleman  his  erstwhile  brother  Phil?  Phil  noticed 
his  hesitation,  and  also  stopped  short  in  pained 
wonder. 

"  Leuw,  dear,  won't  you  have  anything  to  do  with 
me?  "  he  quavered. 

"  Won't  I?  See  if  I  won't,"  cried  Leuw,  recovering 
himself.  And  by  token  of  it  his  arms  were  round 
Phil's  neck,  and  his  cheek  kept  glued  against  Phil's 
cheek  for  the  space  of  five  seconds.  That  was  man- 
lier than  kissing,  besides  serving  tbe  same  purpose,. 

"  May  I  tell  now,  mother?  "  asked  Phil. 

"  Phil's  got  some  good  news,  and  I  thought  he 
ought  to  keep  it  till  we  were  all  together,"  explained 
Mrs.   Lipcott. 

Leuw  looked  gratefully  at  his.  mother  and  then  ex- 
pectantly at  Phil.     The  latter  took  a  deep  breath. 

"  Well,  I  came  out  top  in  the  entrance  exam,  and 
got  the  scholarship,"  he  murmured. 

'  Bravo,  Phil,  I  knew  you'd  knock  'em,"  shouted 
Leuw. 

'Auntie  sent  me  to  tell  you  myself;  she  said  it  was 
too  good  for  a  letter,"  went  on  Phil.  "  But  it  was 
mean  of  you — why  haven't  you  been  to  see  me  after 
all  the  asking? " 


"  LEUVV,  DEAll,  WON'T  YOU  HAVE  ANYTHING  TO  DO  WITH  ME  ?  " 


r< 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  169 

u  We'll  come  right  enough,  all  in  good  time,"  said 
Leuw  thoughtfully.     "  And  now  it's  my  turn." 

"What  for?"  asked  Phil,. 

"  D'you  think  you've  bought  up  all  the  good  news 
in  the  world?  "  asked  Leuw  with  affected  scorn.  "  I 
can  also  do  a  bit  in  that  line.     I've  taken  on  a  shop." 

"  Leuw!  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Lipcott  aghast. 

And  then  Leuw,  without  further  circumlocution, 
gave  a  detailed  account  of  Christopher's  magnan- 
imity and  all  that  it  would  mean  to  them.  Of  course 
he  was  listened  to  with  rapt  attention,  especially  by 
Phil,  to  whom  this  was  the  first  intimation  of  Leuw's 
doings  since  they  had  seen  each  other  last.  All  he 
could  say  on  the  matter  was  that  his  brother  Leuw 
came  up  to  his  expectations.  Mrs.  Lipcott  just  lifted 
up  her  eyes  to  heaven  and  murmured: 

"  Thank  God." 

Leuw,  who  caught  the  two  words  in  transit,  thought 
they  were  a  whole  liturgy  in  themselves. 

It  was  understood,  of  course,  that  Phil  would  spend 
the  Sabbath  with  them.  Mrs,.  Duveen  did  not  ex- 
pect him  back  till  the  following  evening. 

4  I  wish  you  had  given  me  notice,"  said  Mrs.  Lip- 
cott; "  I'd  have  made  something  extra." 

'I'm  glad  you  didn't;  it  would  have  made  me  feel 
a  stranger,"  said  Phil  quickly;  and  Leuw  grunted  ap- 
proval. 

'Oh!  I  forgot,"  said  Phil  suddenly  during  supper. 
'  Dulcie  wants  to  be  specially  remembered  to  you." 

'  Does  she? '  asked  Leuw  off-hand,  wondering 
whether  his  flush  looked  as  hot  as  it  felt. 

'  And  Effie  wants  to  know  you  badly,"  continued 
Phil. 

That,  of  course,  led  to  an  account  of  Effie,  and  Phil 


i;o 


SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT 


became  rather  fluent  over  her.  Leuw  gave  ear  con- 
tentedly because  Effie  implied  frequent  allusions  to 
Dulcie.  It  was  rather  a  second-hand  sort  of  business, 
he  told  himself;  but  it  was  better  than  nothing. 

"  Oh!  yes,  Ell  come  to  see  you,  when  Eve  got  on  a 
bit  more,"  he  said  all  at  once,  and  apropos  of  nothing 
in  particular.  It  sounded  rather  strange,  and  he 
asked  himself  angrily  when  he  would  get  rid  of  the 
stupid  habit  of  thinking  aloud. 

All  next  day  it  poured  in  torrents;  but  none  of  them 
minded.  Phil,  indeed,  was  rather  glad,  because  it 
served  him  as  an  excuse  for  not  parading  himself,  a 
thing  he  had  anticipated  with  some  apprehension. 
And,  besides,  the  discomfort  without  made  the  room 
seem  cosier,  and  sent  the  sense  of  their  reunion 
tingling  more  gratefully  through  the  hearts  of  its 
occupants. 

Leuw  alone  saw  Phil  off  to  the  railway  station  on 
the  latter's  way  home. 

"  Good  luck,  Phil,"  said  Leuw. 

"  God  bless  you,  Leuw." 

And  as  they  gripped  hands,  the  same  thought  struck 
them  both,  that  this  was  not  merely  an  ordinary  leave- 
taking.  They  were  doing  more  than  bidding  each 
other  good-by;  they  were  saying  farewell  to  each 
other's  childhood.  So  far,  although  they  had  taken 
themselves  so  seriously,  they  had  only  played  at  life; 
but  now  they  had  once  and  for  all  stowed  away  their 
toys  in  the  great  lumber-room  of  the  world,  the  past. 
And  the  moist-eyed  smile  they  exchanged  at  parting 
was  the  fittest  legend  they  could  write  on  the  sign- 
posts of  their  ways:  Regret  for  what  they  had  lost 
and  the  compensating  hope  of  the  many  things  they 
had  to  strive  for  and  to  gain. 


PART  II 


CHAPTER  XV 

The  world  had  become  six  years  older.  It  was 
contended  on  many  hands  that  it  had  also  become  a 
little  wiser.  There  remained,  however,  a  few  people 
who  still  did  foolish  things.  Among  them  was  Mr. 
Diamond,  who  had  committed  a  most  reprehensible 
folly  in  forgetting  the  existence  of  his  wife  and  acting 
on  his  own  initiative.  Pondering  this  in  his  divided 
mind,  he  was  slowly  wending  his  way  home  from  a 
meeting  of  the  Synagogue  Committee,  of  which  he 
was  a  respected  member.  It  was  at  this  meeting  that, 
in  a  moment  of  misguided  independence  and  false  en- 
thusiasm, he  had  allowed  himself  to  be  prevailed  upon 
by  his  colleagues  to  be  nominated  as  Bridegroom  of 
the  Law,  because  no  other  candidate  could  be  found. 
This  Bridegroomship  of  the  Law  is  an  office  which, 
in  every  Synagogue,  falls  to  the  lot  of  one  man  for  one 
day  in  the  year,  to  wit,  the  Ninth  of  Tabernacles, 
more  specifically  termed  the  Rejoicing  in  the  Law. 
The  office  is  one  of  honor  and  distinction,  and  carries 
with  it  an  accumulation  of  synagogal  privileges.  In 
the  first  place,  the  holder  of  it  is  accommodated  with 
a  seat  in  that  exalted  stronghold  of  communal  dignity, 
the  warden's  box,  with  accessories  in  the  shape  of  two 
fronting  bouquets  and  an  obsequious  beadle  ever  on 
the  watch  to  open  the  pew-door  to  his  exits  and  en- 


172  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

trances.  Secondly,  he  walks  close  behind  the  Reader 
in  the  procession  of  the  Scrolls,  and  finally,  he  is  the 
object  of  a  highly  complimentary  preamble — most 
trying  to  a  man  of  modesty  or  humor — by  which  is 
prefaced  his  call  to  the  reading-desk  to  hear  the 
cantillating  of  his  portion.  This  portion,  as  befits  the 
occasion,  is  the  most  epoch-making  of  the  year,  for  it 
consists  of  the  concluding  verses  of  the  annual  Penta- 
teuchal  Cycle,  and  the  intoning  of  it  winds  up  with  a 
decorative  vocal  flourish  and  a  vociferous  response. 
However,  as  a  set-off  against  these  glories,  there  are 
certain  drawbacks  attached  to  the  Bridegroomship, 
of  which  Mr.  Diamond  was  uncomfortably  conscious, 
and  the  enumeration  of  which  he  could  safely  leave  to 
Mrs.  Diamond. 

As  he  wiped  his  feet  on  the  mat  outside  the  sitting- 
room,  he  devoutly  wished  he  could  resume  life  half 
an  hour  hence.  Then  his  peril  made  him  rise  to  a 
great  stroke  of  policy,  and  instead  of  the  hangdog 
abjectness  that  had  usurped  him  ever  since  he  had 
come  to  a  proper  understanding  of  his  trespass,  he 
entered  with  a  show  of  suppressed  triumph. 

"  Becky,  my  dear!  " 

"What's  the  matter,  Diamond?"  asked  "  Becky, 
my  dear/'  calmly. 

Mrs.  Diamond  had  not  changed  much  since  her 
last  appearance.  The  glasses  she  used  for  darning 
Diamond's  socks — "  he  has  such  flat  feet,  you  know, 
and  treads  them  out  at  heels  so  quickly  " — were  a  size 
stronger,  and  her  Thursday-morning  voice  was  still 
more  incapable  of  modulation;  but  otherwise  she 
was  much  the  same,  and  Mr.  Diamond  knew  it. 

"  Well?"  she  prompted,  as  she  saw  him  struggling 
with  his  make-believe  emotion,, 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  173 

"  Becky,  my  dear,  the  Synagogue  people  have  paid 
you  a  splendid  compliment." 

"  What's  that?  Asked  me  to  preach  them  a  sermon 
on  good  manners  and  charity  and  .  .  ." 

"  Not  exactly,  Becky,  my  dear.  But  they  have 
elected  you  Bride  of  the  Law." 

"  Diamond,  you  know  I  object  to  your  round-the- 
corner  ways.     Now  what  is  it?  ' 

Mr.  Diamond  was  treading  himself  viciously  on  the 
toes;  then  he  stammered: 

"  Well,  Becky,  my  dear,  if  you're  Bride  of  the  Law, 
what  would  I  be?  " 

Mrs.  Diamond  doffed  her  spectacles,  stripped  the 
half-darned  sock  off  her  arm  and  looked  business- 
like. 

"What  would  you  be?'!  she  repeated.  "Surely 
you  haven't  let  'em  talk  you  into  it?  " 

Talk  me  into  it?'  cried  Mr.  Diamond,  eagerly. 
"  I  suppose  you  think  it  went  begging.  You  ought  to 
know  what  a  rush  there  was  for  it.  Preager  and 
Tannenbaum  said  they  would — but  I  mustn't  tell  you 
what  goes  on  in  the  Committee." 

'  Mustn't  you?"  asked  Mrs.  Diamond  significantly. 

"  Said  they  would  give  up  their  seats,  because  it  was 
their  turn,  and — look  what  a  great  honor  they  paid 
me  that  I  was  picked  out  after  all,  Becky,  my  dear." 

"  And  pray,  who  asked  you  to  go  hunting  after  any 
honor?'  began  Mrs.  Diamond,  ominously  calm. 
"  Don't  you  know  you've  got  a  wife  that  gets  more 
honor  and  respect  than  we  can  manage  between  the 
two  of  us?  And  how  does  she  get  it?  On  the  cheap; 
that's  where  the  cleverness  comes  in.  Any  fool  can 
get   himself  made    a   fuss    about,    if   he   only    spends 


174 


SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 


enough  money  on  it.  See  if  you  won't  get  us  sold 
up  one  of  these  days  through  your  ungodly  boastful- 
ness,  and  then  you'll  find  out  how  much  your  honor. 
will  fetch  in  the  open  market.  But  don't  flatter  your- 
self you're  going  to  have  it  all  your  way,  because  you 
won't" 

"  I  didn't  expect  I  would,  Becky,  my  dear,"  as- 
sented Mr.  Diamond  humbly;  "  but  really  it  won't  cost 
us  as  much  as  you  think." 

"  Won't  it?  Perhaps  you  won't  have  to  offer  half 
a  guinea  in  the  Synagogue,  and  if  you  happen  to  be 
on  the  deaf  side  of  the  beadle,  he'll  fancy  you  said 


a  guinea." 


"  But,  Becky,  my  dear,  I  couldn't  think  of  offering 
anything  under  a  guinea." 

"  Then  the  beadle  will  fancy  you  said  two.  That's 
item  number  one.  Now,  what  about  the  party?  I 
suppose  we'll  have  to  order  in  a  small  brewery  for  the 
day.  Or,  do  you  think  Preager  and  Tannebaum'll 
be  too  proud  to  drown  their  disappointment  at  your 
expense? " 

"  I'm  quite  sure  they  won't  be,"  replied  Mr.  Dia- 
mond with  a  naivete  that  was  positively  touching. 
Mrs.  Diamond  shot  him  a  withering  look  before  pro- 
ceeding: 

'  And  then  you'll  want  a  new  suit  of  clothes." 

'  And  you  a  new  dress,  Becky,  my  dear,"  added  her 
husband,  without  the  least  trace  of  an   afterthought. 

For  a  moment  Mrs.  Diamond  paused,  taken  aback; 
then  the  subtle  nefariousness  of  Mr.  Diamond's  last 
remark  came  home  to  her,  and  stirred  her  to  righteous 
indignation. 

'  Oh,  vou  want  to  bribe  me,  do  you?     And  a  new 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  175 

dress'll  do  the  trick,  will  it?  If  I  want  a  new  dress, 
I'll  wait  till  that  dunder-headed  Committee  of  yours 
makes  you  a  Bridegroom  of  the  Law,  will  I?  Next, 
I  dare  say,  you'll  want  me  to  ask  them  permission 
when  I  want  to  buy  a  penn'orth  of  salt  or  a  packet  of 
hair-pins,  eh?  If  I  was  you,  I'd  beg  'em  kindly  to 
take  over  the  managing  of  this  house  altogether,  and 
put  me  on  weekly  wages.  Diamond,  when  shall  I  be 
able  to  make  something  like  a  man  of  you?  ' 

'  I  give  it  up,"  groaned  Mr.  Diamond,  miserably 
huddling  in  the  arm-chair. 

'  So  do  I.  If  only  I'd  taken  Uncle  Toby  God- 
rest-his-soul's  advice.  Didn't  he  always  say — said 
Uncle  Toby — God-rest-his-soul — when  he  used  to  see 
the  way  you  used  to  poke  your  head  in  at  the  door 
when  we  were  courting,  '  Reeky,  my  girl,'  he  said, 
'  never  marry  a  man  that  comes  into  the  room  half  at 
a  time.  He'll  never  do  the  right  thing  in  the  right 
place..'     And  I'm  blest  if  you  ever  did." 

Becky,  my  dear,  not  even  when  I  married  you?" 
asked  Mr.  Diamond  with  melting  reproach. 

Yes,  you  did,  just  that  once;  and  then  it  was  more 
through  luck  than  sense.  And  now  you're  going  to 
do  it  a  second  time.  Get  yourself  a  sheet  of  note- 
papet." 

Mr.  Diamond  went  to  the  writing-case  with  alacrity. 
He  had  no  idea  what  the  note-paper  was  for;  but  at 
any  rate  it  created  a  diversion,  and  that  was  good 
enough  for  the  time  being. 

"  And  now  you'll  just  write  to  the  wardens  and  say 
it's  off,"  directed  Mrs.  Diamond. 

Mr.  Diamond  shrank  back.  He  had  not  bargained 
for  this.     Of  course,  he  had  expected  that  his  better 


176  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

half  would  fume  and  rage  and  altogether  behave  dis- 
agreeably; but  he  had  not  for  a  moment  thought  that 
she  would  not  give  in  at  the  end.  It  was  dreadful. 
After  solemnly  pledging  his  word  and  receiving  ad- 
vance congratulations,  he  was  now  to  show  up  as  a 
perjurer  and  a  renegade.  But  the  worst  of  it  was 
that  the  true  cause  of  it  would  be  divined.  Now,  he 
did  not  mind  his  wife's  little  tyrannies  so  long  as  they 
were  confined  to  the  precincts  of  the  family  circle; 
in  fact,  he  would  have  regarded  their  absence  as  a  vio- 
lent breach  in  his  normal  existence.  But  he  strongly 
objected  that  his  domestic  ignominy  should  fringe  out 
into  town  talk.  It  never  struck  him  that  he  had 
figured  for  years  as  the  typical  Mr.  Henpeck  of  the 
neighborhood.  Such  are  the  saving  powers  of  a 
proper  self-respect.  And  now  this  letter  was  to  give 
the  game  away.  One  hope  he  had,  but  that  was 
knocked  on  the  head  by  Mrs.  Diamond's  next  words: 

"  Now,  hurry  up,  because  I  want  to  post  it  myself 
to  see  that  it  really  does  go." 

Groaning  inwardly,  Mr.  Diamond' took  up  the  pen. 

"  Are  you  going  to  dictate?  "  he  asked. 

"  Of  course.  Start  writing  date  and  address,  and 
I'll  just  think  a  minute.  Now,  then.  Say  as  follows: 
'  This  is  to  inform  you  that  I  refuse  to  be  Bridegroom 
of  the  Law,  and  I  consider  it  a  great  shame  to  talk  a 
man  into  something  before  he's  had  a  chance  of  ask- 
ing his  wife.'  " 

"  But,  Becky,  my  dear,  I  can't  write  that,"  cried 
Mr.  Diamond,  his  hair  on  end. 

'  Oh  yes,  you  can,  have  a  good  try,"  said  Mrs.  Dia- 
mond encouragingly. 

It  was  then  that  the  heaven-sent  inspiration,  which 
proverbially  waits  for  the  eleventh  hour  of  human  dis- 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  xjj 

tress,  took  pity  on  Mr,  Diamond  and  flew  down  to  his 
aid.  Why  must  he  follow  his  wife's  dictation?  thought 
Mr.  Diamond.  She  might  dictate  what  she  pleased, 
and  he  might  write  what  he  deemed  fit.  The  Rejoi- 
cing in  the  Law  was  still  ten  days  ahead,  and  greater 
miracles  had  happened  than  for  a  woman  to  change 
her  mind  in  ten  days.  And  even  if  she  did  not,  it 
would  be  too  late  to  cry  back  and — well,  even  the  devil 
cannot  catch  the  hindmost,  if  the  hindmost  is  too 
quick  for  him.  In  any  case  it  gave  him  over  a  week's 
respite  and  to  Mr.  Diamond's  procrastinatory  philos- 
ophy that  was  worth  any  risk. 

k  Well,  when  you've  done  chewing  that  pen-holder," 
Mrs.  Diamond  broke  in  on  his  ruminations. 

'  I  was  only  thinking  how  to  put  the  letter  into 
shape,"  said  Mr.  Diamond  speciously. 

1  But  I  don't  want  you  to  put  it  into  shape.  I  want 
them  to  have  it  plain  and  plump,  and  no  extra  compli- 
ments— understand  what  I  mean?  " 

So  Mr.  Diamond  wrote.  Mrs.  Diamond  added 
another  trenchant  sentence  or  two,  calculated  to  make 
the  wardens  review  their  past  life,  and  find  it  a  con- 
catenation of  black  iniquities.  Mr.  Diamond  set  it  all 
down  with  great  complacency — much  too  great  to 
escape  Mrs.  Diamond's  suspicions.  She  took  up  the 
letter,  and  pretended  to  regard  it  with  infinite  dis- 
pleasure. 

'  It  isn't  at  all  nicely  written,  considering  it's  to  go 
to  the  wardens." 

1  It's  nice  enough  for  the  nasty  things  I've  said  to 
them,"  replied  Mr.  Diamond  bitterly. 

'  That's  not  your  business.     I'll  just  trouble  you  to 
make  another  copy  of  it." 
12 


178  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

Shrugging  his  shoulders,  Mr.  Diamond  obeyed. 
Mrs.  Diamond  took  up  both  copies,  compared  them, 
and  put  the  first  into  the  addressed  envelope  and  the 
second  into  her  pocket. 

Mr.  Diamond  watched  her  mysterious  proceedings, 
looking,  though  not  speaking,  his  question. 

'  I'll  get  somebody  to  read  it  to  me  to-morrow 
morning — to  see  if  you've  put  it  word  for  word,"  she 
answered  him. 

Beyond  one  short  galvanic  shudder,  Mr.  Diamond 
felt  nothing.  His  nerves  were  killed  for  the  evening, 
and  he  was  numbed  to  all  further  emotions. 

"  I'm  going  to  bed,  Becky,  my  dear,"  he  said  dis- 
passionately. 

"  No,  you  won't.     You'll  wait  till  I  come  back." 

And  then  Mrs.  Diamond  went  out  to  post  the  letter. 
She  took  it  to  the  pillar-box  at  the  corner,  and  slipped 
it  through  the  crevice.  But  the  instant  it  was  leaving 
her  fingers,  a  sudden  idea  shot  through  her  that  made 
them  dart  after  it  frantically.  It  was  too  late,  how- 
ever. The  letter  rested  snugly  at  the  bottom  of  the 
box.  The  next  collection  was  not  till  midnight;  it 
was  now  half-past  nine.  Gathering  up  her  skirts,  she 
waddled  back  as  no  woman  of  her  dimensions  had 
ever  waddled  before. 

"That  comes  of  your  flustering  and  flurrying  me 
like  that,"  she  broke  in  on  her  husband. 

"  I  flurried  you?"  stammered  the  latter. 

'  Of  course  you  did.  If  you  hadn't  been  in  such  a 
rush  with  that  letter,  I  should  have  had  time  to  re- 
member about  Mrs.  Duveen." 

"  Remember  about  Mrs.  Duveen?" 

"  To  ask  her  down  to  the  party.     It  would  have 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  179 

been  a  first-rate  opportunity;  she  wouldn't  have  had 
the  face  to  refuse  this  time.  Why  didn't  you  men- 
tion it  to  me?  " 

;  You  never  let  me  mention  anything,  Becky,  my 
dear,"  replied  Mr.  Diamond. 

44  None  of  your  impertinence,  Diamond;  you'll  wait 
up  till  the  postman  comes  round  to  collect,  and  ask 
him  to  give  you  back  the  letter." 

This  was  Mr.  Diamond's  supreme  moment.  "  It 
isn't  necessary,  Becky,  my  dear." 

"What  d'you  mean?" 

'  If  you'll  be  good  enough  to  let  me  have  the  copy 
you've  got  in  your  pocket,  I'll  tell  you." 

Mrs.  Diamond  handed  it  to  him  with  a  docility 
which  at  another  time  would  have  appeared  uncanny 
to  Mr.  Diamond.  Then,  planting  himself  on  the 
hearth-stone,  he  cleared  his  throat,  and  with  a  voice 
that  made  the  brass  chandelier  ring,  he  read  as  follows : 
To  the  Wardens  of  the  Peace-pursuing  Brothers 
of  Plotsk  Synagogue.  Gentlemen,  I  write  to  confirm 
what  I  said  at  the  meeting.  Namely,  that  I  shall  be 
glad  to  accept  your  nomination  for  Bridegroom  of 
the  Law.  On  informing  my  wife  of  the  same,  she 
was  overwhelmed  with  joy.  And  wishes  to  express 
her  thanks  for  the  honor  you  have  heaped  upon  us. 
Likewise  I  shall  do  my  little  best  in  what  concerns  the 
offerings.  Which  is  only  as  it  should  be  on  such  an 
occasion.  And  beg  to  remain  your  obedient  servant 
Lazarus  Diamond." 

There  was  a  momentary  after-vibration  of  the  chan- 
delier, which  Mr.  Diamond  could  have  sworn  sounded 
like  an  Amen. 

"  And  you  really  dared  to  write  that?"  asked  Mrs. 
Diamond,  after  a  pregnant  pause. 


180  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT 

"  Dared?  Why  it  was  only  the  right  thing  in  the 
right  place — wasn't  it?  " 

Mrs..  Diamond  looked  at  him  from  head  to  foot  as 
one  might  a  perfect  stranger.  Then  she  said,  half 
in  wonder  and  half  in  triumph: 

. "  Diamond,   I   believe   I'm  making  a  man   of  you 
after  all!" 


CHAPTER  XVI 

Earlier  that  very  evening  Leuw  Lipeott  sat  in  his 
counting  house,  though  to  call  it  such  was  rank  flat- 
tery. A  man-high  partition,  with  a  square  foot  of 
glass  pane  fitted  in  at  the  upper  end,  so  as  to  permit 
a  look  out  into  the  shop,  the  whole  a  piece  of  very 
bad  workmanship,  for  it  was  Leuw's  own — such  were 
the  offices  of  Messrs.  Donaldson  &  Lipeott,  where  the 
purely  clerical  matters  of  the  firm  were  attended  to. 
But  even  this  make-shift  was  better  than  the  back 
parlor  with  its  litter  of  wood  splinters,  feathers,  and 
cardboard  wreckage,  not  to  mention  the  glue  and  the 
paints,  which  notoriously  have  a  born  passion  for  at- 
taching themselves  where  they  are  least  wanted;  and 
Leuw  objected  strongly  to  getting  his  folios  smudged. 

It  was  the  last  day  of  the  month,  and  in  accordance 
with  the  immemorial  custom  of  the  firm,  the  accounts 
were  being  made  out  by  Leuw,  with  Christopher 
seated  close  to  him,  dividing  his  wonder  between  the 
cryptic  columns  of  figures  and  Leuw's  sure,  self-con- 
fident manner  of  handling  them. 

'  Turnover  better  by  nine  pounds,  eleven  shillings 
and  eightpence  farthing  than  last  year  this  month," 
announced  Leuw,  having  come  to  the  end  of  his  cal- 
culations. 

Christopher   shook   his   head.     "  I    can  understand 
the  pounds,  the  shillings,  the  pence/'  he  said  slowly, 
4  but  what  beats  me  hollow  is  how  you  manage  to  get 
at  that  odd  farthing." 


1S2  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

Lenw  laughed  cheerily.  k  1  don't  think  we'd  have 
got  on  like  this,  if  we  hadn't  looked  after  that  odd 
farthing,"  he  replied,  closing  the  book  with  a  bang. 

"  Yes,  we  have  got  on  a  bit,  ain't  we,  Leuw?  "  said 
Christopher  wistfully,. 

"  And  we'll  have  to  get  on-ner.  Remember  I'm  a 
householder  on  my  .own  now." 

"  Well,  Leuw,  my  boy,  I've  let  you  have  your  way 
mostly  in  everything.  Try  as  hard  as  you  like  for 
yourself." 

"  Then  what  about  setting  up  our  Mineral  Water 
Factory?"  asked  Leuw  smilingly. 

"  There  you  are  again;  I  tell  you  it  isn't  time  yet 
for  launching  out  so  big.  Steady  does  it.  But,  of 
course,  if  you're  so  stiff  on  it,  I  can't  prevent  you. 
After  all,  you've  got  as  much  to  say  here  as  me  and — • 
God  knows  when  the  say'll  be  yours  altogether. 

"Christopher!"  cried   Leuw  reproachfully. 

This  Mineral  Water  Factory,  as  well  as  several  other 
suggestions  of  Leuw's  for  the  expansion  of  the  busi- 
ness, had  been  moot  points  between  him  and  Chris- 
topher for  some  time  past.  Leuw  saw  many  a  chance 
of  adding  to  their  profits,  but  Christopher,  with  the 
caution  of  old  age,  was  loath  to  leave  the  beaten 
tracks  of  their  routine;  and  though  Leuw  at  times 
managed  to  extort  from  him  a  quasi-consent,  he  felt 
bound  to  look  upon  it  in  the  light  of  a  downright 
refusal.  But  he  never  grumbled — not  even  to  him- 
self. Each  time  that  old  Christopher — he  w^as  in- 
deed old  Christopher  now — expressed  his  objection, 
LeuwT  w^as  recompensed  by  the  thought  that,  by  sub- 
mitting to  him  unconditionally  and  putting  shackles 
upon  his  own   desires,  he  w^as  paying  off  a  tithe  of 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  183 

gratitude  to  the  friend  to  whom  he  owed  so  much. 
And  far  from  being  a  vexation  of  soul,  his  rebuffs  be- 
came to  Leuw  a  taste  of  the  sweetness  of  self-sacrifice. 

4  Now,  let  me  put  you  into  your  overcoat,  and  come 
along,"  said  Leuw  a  little  later.  k  Mother  told  me  par- 
ticularly to  bring  you  home  for  the  house-warming. 
She  couldn't  possibly  do  without  you." 

"  No,  thanks,  not  to-night,  boy.  Want  to  nurse 
myself  this  evening.     I  feel  a  bit  shaky/' 

'  We'll  nurse  you  all  right — better  than  you  would 
yourself.  Well  walk  slowly  down  to  the  High  Street, 
and  take  the  tram  right  to  the  very  turning.  It's  only 
the  second  house  from  the  top." 

But  Christopher  persisted  in  his  refusal.  "  I'm  only 
a  stranger,  and  you'll  want  to  be  by  yourselves  the 
first  evening;  and  your  brother  is  coming  down,  too, 
you  say.     Ask  me  again  in  a  week  or  two." 

With  that  Leuw  had  to  rest  contented.  He  went 
out  to  put  up  the  shutters — they  had  agreed  to  close 
an  hour  earlier  to-night — and  came  back  to  what 
now  served  old  Christopher  not  only  as  workshop 
but  also  as  sitting  and  bedroom.  The  upper  chamber, 
which  had  combined  the  purposes  of  the  latter  two, 
had  become  a  year  ago  a  magazine  for  stock,  to  the 
great  satisfaction  of  Christopher,  because  it  implied 
growth  of  business,  and  much  more,  because  by  a  bad 
arrangement,  over  which  he  had  no  control,  the  stair- 
case seemed  to  lengthen  out  just  at  the  time  when  his 
breath  became  considerably  shorter. 

"  Then  I'll  just  make  you  comfortable  for  the  even- 
ing," said  Leuw.  And  in  a  twinkling  the  floor  was 
swept  of  its  litter,  the  glue  and  paint-pots  had  disap- 
peared into  their  cupboard,  and  the  grate  blazed  up 


1 84  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

high  with  added  fuel,  for  Christopher  now  always 
imagined  he  felt  cold,  and  nothing  but  the  sight  of  a 
fire,  even  in  the  summer,  would  counteract  his  fancy. 
Leuw  puljed  up  the  arm-chair,  of  which  he  had  made 
Christopher  a  present  on  his  last  birthday,  put  the  ket- 
tle on,  and  dished  up  the  supper  of  cold  meat,  bread, 
and  pickles.  Then  he  fetched  out  the  bottle  of  rum, 
and  sliced  up  a  lemon,  for  now  that  Christopher  had 
definitely  discarded  his  pipe,  with  recurrent  maledic- 
tions on  that  nuisance  of  an  asthma,  he  was  reluct- 
antly compelled  to  resort  to  a  glass  or  two  of  hot 
rum  to  woo  the  sleep  which  otherwise  fled  his  eye- 
lids. It  was  a  sad  day  for  the  old  man  when  he  had 
to  strip  his  buttonhole  of  its  blue  ribbon.  It  was  to 
him  as  though  he  had  lost  caste. 

"  I  don't  think  I've  forgotten  anything,"  said  Leuw, 
looking  round  him. 

"  Don't  think  so  either.  Who  ever  knew  Leuw 
Lipcott  to  forget  anything?  " 

Leuw  smiled  his  pleasure  at  the  compliment. 
"  Then,  till  to-morrow,"  he  said,  his  hand  on  Chris- 
topher's shoulder. 

'  Yes,  and  be  careful  to  walk  into  the  house  right 
foot  first.  Ah!  I  forgot  you  don't  believe  in  those 
things." 

"  No,  but  I  believe  in  doing  what  you're  pleased  at. 
That's  why  it'll  be  right  foot  first." 

It  was  now  Christopher's  turn  to  smile  his  thanks, 
on  which  Leuw  made  his  departure.  Usually  it  was 
a  smile  of  Christopher's  that  was  taken  to  act  as  the 
full  stop  to  the  day's  proceedings. 

Leuw  swung  down  the  street  as  if  he  owned  it  and 
a  few  more  besides.     Why  should  he  not  feel  buoyant? 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  185 

The  world  had  gone,  was  going,  well  with  him.  Cer- 
tainly, in  the  five  years  that  had  passed  he  had  not 
spared  himself.  But  the  strenuousness  and  the  striv- 
ing, the  battling  through  summer's  heat  and  winter's 
cold,  the  obstinate  wrestling  with  the  malignant  power 
of  untoward  circumstance  had  not  gone  for  nothing. 
From  the  very  start  Leuw  had  made  his  influence  felt 
in  the  business.  It  began  to  move  slowly.  Although 
Christopher  showred  himself  adverse  to  any  radical 
departure  from  old-fashioned  methods,  he  readily 
countenanced  any  attempt  of  Leuw's — and  of  these 
each  week  saw  at  least  one — to  develop  the  concern 
on  more  legitimate  lines.  So  it  was  that  Donaldson 
&  Lipcott — for  Leuw  had  yielded  after  the  first 
year  to  old  Christopher's  importunities,  and  had 
allowed  his  name  to  figure  over  the  shop  door — 
Donaldson  &  Lipcott,  let  it  be  known,  had  advanced 
from  a  tenth-rate  retail  house  to  the  position  of  whole- 
sale agency  and  distributing  centre  to  the  neighbor- 
hood. It  supplied  goods  to  at  least  a  dozen  of  the 
little  trumpery-stores  that  played  at  being  shops,  and 
somehow  the  reputation  of  the  firm  for  fair  dealing 
and  cheapness  had  taken  root  among  the  itinerant 
hawkers  and  barrow-mongers  for  a  mile  round.  And 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  was  not  very  long  before  Leuw 
had  discovered  the  sinful  uselessness  of  the  middle- 
man, and  had  gone  straight  to  the  manufacturers  for 
his  supplies.  Once  he  was  even  bold  enough  to  sug- 
gest to  Christopher  the  advisability  of  opening  nego- 
tiations with  Germany,  but  the  latter  had  flouted  the 
idea  as  being  too  venturesome,  and,  moreover,  savor- 
ing to  some  extent  of  a  want  of  patriotic  sentiment. 
It  was  out  of  sheer  disappointment  at  the  rebuff  that 


1 86  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

Leuw  that  same  afternoon  obtained  by  personal  can- 
vass the  contract  to  furnish  with  toys  and  sweetmeats 
for  its  periodic  treats  an  Elementary  School,  to  which, 
in  the  course  of  time,  he  had  added  four  others. 

With  his  success  grew  Leuw's  self-respect,  which, 
however,  he  took  good  care  did  not  degenerate  into 
a  smug  self-complacency.  It  manifested  itself  chiefly 
in  the  sense  of  incongruity  between  the  sordidness  of 
Narrow  Alley  and  his  possession  of  a  balance  to  his 
credit  at  the  Post  Office  Savings  Bank.  And  so, 
when,  three  weeks  ago,  he  informed  his  mother  that  he 
had  rented  a  house  in  a  respectable  side-turning  off 
the  Mile  End  Road,  at  sixteen  shillings  a  week,  Mrs. 
Lipcott  expressed  no  surprise;  for  she  had  long  since 
left  off  wondering  at  anything  that  Leuw  did.  It  was 
quite  three  years  ago  that  she  had  given  up  the  menial 
drudgery  of  the  wash-tub,  and  if  she  now  occupied 
herself  in  the  more  dignified  department  of  needle- 
work, for  which  she  stood  in  great  demand  among  her 
former  patrons,  it  was  only  at  her  own  earnest  en- 
treaty to  be  allowed  a  pastime.  The  removal  from 
Narrow  Alley  had  taken  place  two  days  before,  The 
new  furniture,  of  course,  had  necessitated  some  blood- 
letting of  the  Savings  Bank  account,  but  Leuw  had 
early  come  to  a  correct  view  of  money  as  a  means  to 
an  end,  as  the  servant  and  not  as  the  master.  He  had 
confirmed  the  correctness  of  his  view  by  the  pleasure 
it  had  given  him  to  see  the  loaded  van  pull  up  and 
discharge  itself  piece  by  piece  into  the  new  home. 
When  he  had  left  for  business  that  morning,  every- 
thing stood  in  its  right  place,  and  the  final  touches 
could  be  safely  delegated  to  his  mother.  And  now, 
as  he  inserted  the  key  into  the  house  door,  his  heart 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  187 

beat  as  high  as  that  of  any  monarch  on  first  entering 
into   his   kingdom. 

His  mother  came  running  out  into  the  passage. 
Silently  he  embraced  her.  And  that  was  all  which  the 
two  considered  necessary — they  wondered  it  was  so 
much — in  the  matter  of  mutual  congratulation. 

"  Phil  come  yet?  "  asked  Leuw,  stepping  into  the 
sitting-room. 

"  He  wrote  he  wouldn't  be  here  before  eight,"  re- 
plied Mrs.  Lipcott,  looking  at  the  new  clock  for  the 
twentieth  time  that  day — with  an  unwonted  but  com- 
forting feeling  that  she  could  tell  to  a  hair's  breadth  at 
what  rate  the  world  was  moving. 

Leuw  utilized  the  interval  for  a  critical  inspection, 
while  Mrs.  Lipcott  descended  to  the  area-kitchen, 
where  the  hissing  and  broiling  hearth-range  claimed 
her,  and  where,  from  its  place  of  honor,  the  old  cop- 
per kettle  shone  upon  her  with  melancholy  pride  at 
being  the  sole  surviving  relic  of  a  departed  order  of 
things,. 

It  was  not  till  twenty  minutes  past  eight  that  a 
rat-tat,  which  could  only  be  Phil's,  brought  them  both 
to  the  door. 

"  Couldn't  find  the  place,"  Phil  explained  his  late- 
ness, after  exchanging  greetings.  "  Seemed  so  funny 
to  have  to  knock  at  the  house  door  to  be  let  in  to 
vou— they  never  went  in  for  knockers  and  rarely  for 
house  doors  in  Narrow  Alley,  you  will  remember. 
Pretty  little  cottage  this."  And  then,  sinking  his 
voice,  he  continued:     "  Who  lives  downstairs?' 

"  We  do,"  said  Leuw. 
"And  the. top  floor?" 
"The  same!  " 


1 88  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

"And  this  floor?" 

'k  The   people    that   live   top   and   bottom,"    replied 
Leuw  with  a  twinkle. 

"  What!  you  don't  mean  to  say  you  keep  the  whole 
house? " 

At   that    Leuw's   twinkle    developed  into    a    hearty 
laugh,  in  which  Mrs.   Lipcott  joined,  though  in  her 
case   it   presently    became   hushed,   and   she    took   to 
fumbling   vaguely  at  her  apron;   then   she   did   some 
hard   blinking,   and   her  eyes   saw   clear  again.     She 
might  well  feel  moved  to  pride  that  overflowed  into 
thankfulness.     It  was  some  time  since  she  had  seen 
her  two  boys  together,  and  now,  after  the  long  interval 
of  comparison,  each  seemed  to  set  the  other  off  to 
better    advantage.     Phil    had    grown    tall — he    stood 
half   a   head    higher   than    Leuw — and    on    the    lithe, 
straight  frame  poised  the  student's  face  and  forehead 
with  the  clear-cut  profile  and  sensitive  mouth  and  the 
soft  dreamy  eyes,  which,   however — one  suspected — 
could  look  very  hard  and  wide-a-wake  once  the  brain 
behind  them  had  set  out  in  pursuit  of  the  goal  to  be 
attained.     The  air  of   delicate  refinement   about   him 
stood  out  well  against,  and  at  the  same  time  accentu- 
ated,   the  sturdy   strength   of   Leuw — of    Leuw,    cast 
altogether    in    a   heavier    mould,   with    his    extensive 
ridge  of  shoulder,  which  he  carried  as  though  in  verit- 
able challenge  to  the  burdens  of  life.     The  features  at 
first  glance  appeared  commonplace,  showing  nothing 
of  the  inner  man,  until  one  got  a  hint  from  the  square- 
hewn  chin,  and  noted,  with  a  start  almost,  the  absolute 
neutrality  of  the  eyes  that  made  their  owner  a  sphinx 
which  kept  its  own  counsel,  and  would  never  let  you 
know  how  much  it  knew  of  yours.     A  contradictory 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  189 

face  it  was,  formidable,  and  yet  sterlingly  honest  and 
making  it  depend,  as  it  were,  on  the  state  of  your  con- 
science, which  of  the  two  you  were  to  consider  it. 
And  as  Mrs.  Lipcott's  glance  passed  from  Phil  to 
Leuw  and  from  Leuw  back  again  to  Phil,  she  knew 
that,  however  little  of  the  credit  might  belong  to  her, 
it  was  wTith  a  good  heart  that  she  could  hold  her  face 
up  to  the  world  and  call  herself  a  mother. 

With  true  housewifely  pride,  Mrs.  Lipcott  dragged 
Phil  off  to  point  out  to  him,  one  by  one,  the  glories 
of  the  well-appointed  kitchen,  and  then  handed  him 
over  to  Leuw,  wrhile  she  laid  the  table  for  supper  in  the 
adjoining  breakfast-room.  Phil  followed  Leuw  over 
the  remainder  of  the  house  with  a  persistent  silence, 
which  Leuw,  as  a  natural  conclusion,  set  down  to 
astonishment. 

But  when  Phil  spoke  next,  his  voice  sounded  any- 
thing but  surprised. 

'  Why  didn't  you  tell  me  about  all  this  before?  " 
'Why,    what    difference    would    it    have    made?" 
smiled  Leuw. 

"  Oh,  not  much.  Besides  it  was  quite  a  selfish  sort 
of  reason  that  made  me  ask  the  question." 

"Selfish?" 

"  Well,  it  would  have  saved  me  worrying  about  you, 
and  kept  my  thoughts  more  steadily  to  my  work,  had 
I  known." 

"  That  never  struck  me,"  stammered  Leuw,  taken 
aback;  "  and  T  thought  you'd  guess," 

"Of  course  I  guessed;  but  that's  what  I  complain 
of.  I  never  dared  to  guess  as  much  as  this;  and  now, 
when  I  ought  to  be  wringing  your  hand  off  in  con- 
gratulation, I  can  only  feel  like  a  fool  that's  been  jolly 
well  hoaxed." 


190  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

Leuw  was  still  floundering  about  for  a  reply,  when 
Airs.  Lipeott  called  up  the  staircase  informing  them 
that  everything  was  ready.  Silently  the  two  de- 
scended. 

44  Well,  I  never — what  a  spread,  mother!"  ex- 
claimed Phil  cheerily. 

Leuw  at  once  noticed  the  change  in  Phil's  de- 
meanor, but  the  change  gave  him  little  satisfaction, 
because  it  was  only  too  obvious  that  it  was  mainly 
due  to  regard  for  their  mother  and  not  for  himself. 
He  grew  painfully  perplexed.  It  almost  humiliated 
him  to  find  Phil  in  a  mood  he  could  not  understand. 

"  T  hope  you've  kept  yourself  hungry  for  it,"  said 
Mrs.  Lipeott. 

44  I've  tried  to,  but  you  mustn't  mind  if  I  don't  quite 
come  up  to  your  expectation. " 

That  he  certainly  did  not,  and  it  was  a  wonder  to 
Leuw  how  persistently  he  kept  up  his  good  humor  and 
genial  flow  of  talk  beneath  Mrs.  Lipcott's  pressing 
remonstrances.  It  was  plain  that  Phil  had  deter- 
mined to  make  the  occasion  the  success  it  deserved  to 
be,  at  whatever  cost  to  himself.  And  Leuw's  grati- 
tude made  him  feel  the  brotherhood  between  them 
as  he  had  never  felt  it  before. 

"  I  may  start  residence  at  Cambridge  in  a  fort- 
night," said  Phil  presently. 

'What!  so  soon?'  came  from  Leuw  and  his 
mother. 

"  I  needn't  for  another  twelvemonth,  but  what's  the 
use  of  wasting  time?  The  day  after  to-morrow  I'm 
going  up  for  my  entrance  scholarship.  It  will  depend 
on  my  getting  it." 

"  Leave  something  for  the  other  chaps — there's  a 
good  boy,"  jested  Leuw. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  19! 

k  Let  the  other  chaps  look  after  themselves,"  replied 
Phil  with  a  truculence  hardly  called  for  by  Leuw's 
jest. 

It  was  the  plea  of  having  to  "  put  in  "  another  hour's 
reading  before  bedtime  that  obtained  Phil  permission 
to  cut  his  visit  much  shorter  than  usual.  At  first,  he 
seemed  inclined  to  make  a  further  departure  from  cus- 
tom by  refusing  Leuw7's  company  to  the  station;  but 
Leuw,  for  the  first  time  that  evening,  asserted  his  old 
ascendancy,  by  just  putting  on  his  hat  and  preceding 
Phil  into  the  street. 

"  What's  the  matter,  Phil?"  he  asked  abruptly,  as 
soon  as  they  had  fallen  into  step. 

"  I  knew  you  were  going  to  ask  that,"  replied  Phil, 
"  and  that  was  why  I  didn't  want  you  to  come." 

"  And  now  I've  come,  you  may  as  well  tell  me." 

"  Well,  you  saw  what  was  the  matter.  Wasn't  I 
bad-tempered  enough?  " 

You   seemed  a  bit  snappy  with  me,"  said  Leuw 
quietly. 

;  That's  where  you  are  wrong.  I  wasn't  quarreling 
with  you  at  all;  I  was  quarreling  with  myself." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  that's  very  annoying,  to  feel  keen 
on  a  good  old  row  and  have  nobody  to  answer  you 
back/' 

*  I'm  not  joking,  Leuw.  And  do  you  know  why  I 
am  angry  with  myself?" 

"  No,  but  you're  just  going  to  tell  me." 

"  Because  I'm  jealous  of  you,  Leuw,  I'm  horribly 
jealous  of  you." 

Leuw  stopped  in  amazement.  Then,  "  Phil,  what 
do  you  mean?"  escaped  him. 

"  I  mean  that  you've  done  such  a  lot  and  I  nothing 
at  all,  and  I'm  only  a  year  younger  than  you." 


ig2 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 


'Goodness  me — where's  the  lot  I've  done?' 
Phil  looked  at  him  keenly..     "  I  know  it  isn't  vanity 
that  makes  you  ask  that,"  he  replied  slowly.     "  You 
don't  want  me  to  sing  your  praises.     But  what's  the 
meaning  of  all  I've  seen  to-night?  " 

"  The  meaning?  A  few  years  of  honest  work  with 
a  stroke  or  two  of  luck  thrown  in.  That's  all.  And 
how  about  yourself,  Mr.  Grumbler?  "  continued  Leuw, 
checking  Phil's  reply.  "  What  about  those  dozens  of 
prizes  and  things  you've  pulled  off?  What  about 
being  the  youngest  head  boy  your  school  ever  had? 
That's  nothing,  of  course.  And  just  let  me  tell  you, 
the  way  you  got  your  little  lot  is  better  than  mine, 
because  it's  all  honest  work,  and  flukes  don't  count 
in  your  line  of  business.  The  difference  between 
the  two  of  us  is,  that  I'm  contented  with  what  I've 
got,  because  I  know  there's  a  lot  more  to  come,  and 
can  wait  for  it,  and  you — well,  you're  cross  with  to- 
morrow because  it  isn't  to-day." 

"  No,  Leuw,  that's  not  what  makes  me  discon- 
tented," said  Phil  soberly.  "  It's  the  thought  that 
however  much  I  may  do,  I'll  never  be  able  to  give 
myself  a  single  '  thank  you  '  for  it.  Take  yourself. 
Whatever  you've  done,  you  needn't  deduct  any  dis- 
count off  it,  and  make  it  so  cheap  that  it's  hardly 
worth  anything.  Goodness!  how  proud  it  must  make 
you  feel  to  look  at  what  you've  got  and  say  it's  all 
through  you  and  for  you.  But  what  I've  got  is  all 
through  and  for  a  stranger — the  dearest  woman,  God 
bless  her,  that  ever  was,  next  to  mother — but  a 
stranger  all  the  same.  And  to  get  it,  I  bartered 
away  the  only  legacy  father  left  me — his  name.  Leuw, 
I'd   exchange   all   the   scholarships   I've   ever   had   or 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  193 

am  likely  to  have,  for  the  privilege  of  having  bought  a 
single  quartern  loaf  for  mother — I  hardly  dare  to  say 
my   mother." 

Leuw  heard  him  out  patiently,  and  then  shook  his 
head. 

'  No,  Phil,  you  don't  put  the  case  properly  at  all. 
In  the  first  place  it's  all  bunkum  about  my  belonging 
lock,  stock,  and  barrel,  to  myself  and  owing  nobody. 
Where  would  I  have  been,  if  old  Christopher  hadn't 
come  my  way,  and  held  me  up  under  the  arms  till  I 
had  learnt  to  stand  on  my  own  feet,  if  needs  be?  But 
that's  the  worst  of  you  studying  chaps;  you've  only 
got  to  be  touched  with  a  finger-tip,  and  you  wriggle." 

"  Perhaps  I  am  too  sensitive,"  admitted  Phil;  "  most 
of  us  Jews  are  that,  you  know." 

"  Well,  a  lot  of  prodding  makes  you  rather  tender," 
continued  Leuw,  "  but  that's  hardly  to  the  point. 
You  call  yourself  names  because  you  weren't  indepen- 
dent and  all  that  sort  of  thing  like  me.  If  you  had 
been,  you  bet  your  boots  you  wouldn't  have  been 
alive  at  all.  Supposing  you  hadn't  got  your  chance 
in  the  nick  of  time,  what  would  have  happened?  Very 
likely  you'd  have  gone  in  for  the  same  thing  as  me, 
and  have  worried  yourself  dead  knowing  that  you 
weren't  suited,  and  were  only  making  a  hash  of  your- 
self. Or  else,  not  being  able  to  withstand  your  nat- 
ural liking,  you'd  have  plodded  on  killingly  at  the 
game  you're  now  playing  nice  and  comfortable,  and 
have  knocked  your  brains  out  trying  to  get  through 
a  brick  wall.  Now,  what  pays  better,  especially  for 
us  Jews,  to  get  a  leg-up  to  the  top  or  to  trudge  your 
own  weary  way  down  to  a  cropper?  And  what  con- 
cerns father's  legacy,  as  you  call  it — that's  all  right. 

13 


194  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

As  long  as  you  put  some  shine  into  the  name  of  Jew, 
dad  won't  mind  what  particular  name  the  Jew  goes 
by/' 

Phil  pondered  Leuw's  words  for  a  minute  or  so. 
"  You  know  what?"  he  said  finally.  "It  seems 
to  me  that  I've  lost  even  more  than  I  thought  by  leav- 
ing home." 

"Why!  what  have  you  lost  now?" 

"  Watching  you  make  progress.  I've  got  to  know 
dozens  and  dozens  of  fellows  during  my  time  at 
school — rattling  fine  ones,  some  of  them,  I  can  assure 
you.  But  I  don't  think  the  lot  of  them  together  have 
taught  me  the  things  that  one  doesn't  get  from  books 
half  as  well  as  you  might  have  taught  me  them.  Now 
that's  a  compliment,  Leuw,  but  I  stick  to  it." 

"  Compliments  are  only  compliments  when  you  can 
take  them  with  one  hand  and  pass  them  back  with  the 
other.     And   I  take  yours,  Phil,"  said  Leuw  gravely. 

"  It  took  me  a  long  time  to  understand,"  went  on 
Phil;  "but  it's  clear  as  daylight  to  me  now — your 
refusing  to  come  up  to  Aunt's  all  these  years.  Do 
you  know,  I  set  it  down  to  sheer  pig-headedness  or 
some  stupid  sort  of  sulks.  Instead,  you  were  only 
nursing  your  self-respect,  sort  of  waiting  till  you 
might  meet  them  equal  to  equal.  And  that's  what  you 
meant  by  your  '  It  isn't  time  yet.'  Am'  I  right, 
Leuw?" 

"  Yes,  that  was  pretty  well  my  idea  of  it." 

"  Well,  as  for  me,  I  can't  help  fancying  that  if  any- 
body sweller  than  I  had  only  held  their  finger  up  to 
me,  I  shouldn't  have  bothered  much  about  self-re- 
spect, and  have  walked  straight  into  their  parlor,  and 
sat  down  in  their  best  easy-chair.  But  you — oh!  I 
did  feel  annoyed  last  prize-day,  when  you  hid  right 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  I95 

at  the  back  of  the  hall,  and  rushed  mother  off  as  soon 
as  you  could,  only  to  get  out  of  Aunt's  way,  I  sup- 
pose. She  was  awfully  disappointed;  and  as  for 
Dulcie — she  made  me  fag  all  through  the  crowd  to 
look  for  you.  She  said  she  didn't  believe  I  was  two 
inches  taller  than  you,  and  she  wanted  to  see  for  her- 
self." 

Leuw  turned  his  head  from  Phil's  reproachful 
glance,. 

'  It  was  grand,  Phil,  grand,"  he  replied,  ignoring 
Phil's  main  point,  "  to  see  you  stand  up  there  before 
those  hundreds  of  people,  and  hear  you  rattle  off  that 
long  speech  without  turning  a  hair,  and  all  the  other 
boys  cheering  the  roof  off  for  you  each  time  you 
walked  on  to  the  platform  to  get  the  medals  and  the 
books — I  tell  you,  Phil,  you  bought  mother  her 
quartern  loaf  that  day." 

'Do  you  think  so?"  asked  Phil  anxiously. 

'  A  quartern  and  a  half,  Phil.  And  you  said  she — 
what's  her  name,  Dulcie,  sent  you  to  look  for  me — 
for  us — why,  fancy,  here  we  are  at  the  station." 

'  Of  course,  I  shall  let  you  know  at  once  how  I've 
got   on,"   said  Phil. 

"  You  may  as  well  tell  me  now,"  said  Leuw. 

Phil  laughed,  and  Leuw  regarded  his  laugh  as  an 
achievement.  He  still  did  not  quite  know  what  to 
make  of  Phil's  behavior,  and  would  have  considered 
it  no  explanation  to  be  told  that  he  had  for  the  first 
time  come  into  contact  with  the  artistic  temperament. 

But  what  he  considered  more  inexplicable  still  was 
that  the  little  lady  whom  he  had  once  offended  by 
calling  her  gloves  mittens  should  think  it  worth 
while  after  all  this  time  to  make  sure  that  he  was  two 
inches  shorter  than  Phil. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

"  Never  mind,  Effie,  dear — they'll  be  all  right.     Don't 
cry  any  more,"  said  Dulcie, 

"  I  c-can't  help  it,"  sobbed  Effie. 

"  Let's  put  our  hair  up  and  play  at  being  '  out,' : 
suggested   Dulcie. 

"  How  could  I,  Dulcie?  With  papa  and  mamma 
gone  away  for  six  months  all  the  way  to  Australia, 
and  papa  looking  so  white  and  poorly;  and  oh! 
Dulcie,  I  feel  so  frightened  about  what  I  said  a  few 
weeks  ago." 

"  What  was  that?    I  don't  remember." 

"  Yes,  you  do.  The  day  I  pinned  that  wool  mon- 
key to-  the  back  of  Mademoiselle's  jacket,  and  she 
walked  out  into  the  street  like  that,  and  all  the  people 
laughed  at  her,  and  she  came  back  in  a  dreadful  pad- 
dy, and  gave  notice,  and  papa  threatened  he'd  send 
me  to  a  boarding  school.  .  .  ." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  broke  in  Dulcie,  "  and  you  said  that 
rather  than  go  there  you'd  run  away,  and  ask  them 
to  take  you  in  at  the  first  orphan  asylum  you  came 
across." 

"  It's  that  orphan  asylum  that  frightens  me,"  gulped 
Effie.  "  Suppose  God  took  me  at  my  word?  Do  you 
think  He  might,  Dulcie?" 

"  I  don't  think  so,  but  to  be  on  the  safe  side  you 
might  stop  crying  a  moment  or  two  and  pray  He 
shouldn't." 

And  while  Effie  is  acting  on  her  friend's  suggestion, 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  197 

the  opportunity  may  be  taken  to  explain  that  four 
days  ago  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elkin  had  started  on  an  ex- 
tended sea  journey,  because  the  former's  health  had 
broken  down  suddenly.  Effie,  without  having  her 
wishes  consulted  in  the  matter,  had  been  left  behind 
in  charge  of  Mrs.  Duveen,  for  Mrs.  Elkin  desired  to 
bestow  her  whole  and  undivided  attention  on  her 
invalid  husband,  without  having  to  give  toll  of  it  to 
that  wayward  fifteen-year-old  of  hers.  And  now  the 
latter  was  unbosoming  her  grief  at  the  occurrence  in 
the  seclusion  of  what  had  been  set  apart  for  herself 
and  Dulcie  as  a  school-room,  after  solemn  assurances 
from  both  that  they  would  not  look  upon  the  arrange- 
ment as  a  heaven-sent  opportunity  for  indulging  in  a 
bacchanalia  of  idleness. 

"  I  feel  much  better  now,"  said  Effie,  after  a  pause. 
"  I  know  why  I  was  taken  like  that  to-night — because 
everybody's  out,  Auntie  Duveen  paying  visits,  and 
Uncle  Bram  said  he'd  come  early,  and  he  hasn't,  and 
Phil  gone  up  to  'Cambridge  to  try  for  that  scholarship 
of  his.  .  .  ." 

"  But  I'm  here,"  interrupted  Dulcie. 

"You?  You're  only  another  me,  and  that's  ex- 
actly what  makes  it  sad  and  lonely  twice  over." 

Dulcie  was  dubious  whether  or  not  to  construe  this 
into  a  compliment;  then  giving  herself  the  benefit  of 
the  doubt,  she  remarked: 

"  If  I  feel  sad,  I  like  to  be  quite  alone  till  I  have 
felt  it  all  out  of  me." 

''  Oh !  different  people  have  different  ways  of  doing 
it,"  replied  Effie,  with  an  assumption  of  great  wisdom. 

'  My  way  is  as  good  as  yours,  though,  I  should 
think,"  said  Dulcie. 


198  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  There's  nothing  like  having  a  good  opinion  of 
yourself/'  said  Effie  loftily.  "  I  should  call  yours  a 
jolly  rotten  way." 

"  Effie!     You  know  it  isn't  ladylike  to  talk  slang." 

"  I'll  talk  anything  I  like.  I'd  talk  French  to  you, 
only  you're  such  a  dunce  you  wouldn't  understand  it." 

"  Not  your  French,  I  don't  suppose.  So  you 
needn't  try." 

"  Of  course,  you  always  must  have  the  last  word," 
flung  Effie. 

"  That's  better  than  having  the  first — in  a  quarrel," 
retorted  Dulcie. 

"Anyway,  you  haven't  got  much  manners;  else 
you'd  remember  I  was  your  guest  and  got  to  be 
treated  politely." 

Dulcie  gave  a  gasp  and  looked  at  Effie,  Effie  saw 
the  look  of  contrition  start  over  the  other's  face,  and 
the  next  moment  a  miniature  cannonade  proceeded 
from  the  two  closely  pressed  mouths. 

'  Dear,  dear,  now  we've  quarreled  again,  and  we 
promised  Phil  we  wouldn't  any,  any  more,"  exclaimed 
Effie,  flinging  the  straggling  strands  of  gipsy  hair 
back  into  their  place;  "but  it  does  feel  so  lovely  mak- 
ing up  again  afterwards — doesn't  it,  Dulcie,  dear?'1 

"  And  I  only  kept  it  going  so  that  you  might  for- 
get a  bit  about  your  papa  and  mamma." 

"Oh,  you  dear!" 

"  And  that's  a  good  enough  reason  for  Phil  not 
scolding  us  for  not  keeping  our  word." 

"  I'm  sorry  I  didn't  keep  my  word;  but  who  cares 
about  Phil's  scolding?" 

'  I  do;  and  you  as  well.     You  know  you  do." 

Effie  opened  her  lips  mutinously,  and,  shutting  them 
again  on  second  thoughts,  averted  her  head. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  199 

"  You  know,  Effie,"  said  Dulcie  confidentially, 
"  when  I've  done  anything  wrong,  I  feel  more  afraid 
of  Phil  than  I  do  of  mamma." 

kk  Yes,  that's  because  his  way  of  scolding  makes  you 
so  uncomfortable.  He  doesn't  call  you  any  names, 
and  he  doesn't  use  spiteful  words,  but  he  just  looks  at 
you — at  me,  I  should  rather  say — with  such  a  God- 
forgive-you  sort  of  face  that  I  feel  I  ought  to  pack  up 
my  things  and  go  to  bogy  without  saying  good-by  to 
any  one.  I  knew  he  was  a  goody-goody  the  first  time 
I  saw  him." 

"  He  isn't  a  '  goody-goody,'  "  flared  up  Dulcie;  "  he 
made  eighty-seven  '  not  out '  for  his  school  the  last 
cricket  match  of  the  season." 

It  was  not  quite  so  obvious  how  that  disproved 
Effie's  allegation,  but  Effie  seemed  to  accept  it  as  a 
repudiation,  for  she  said: 

"  That's  true,.  Still,  I  don't  see  why  you  should  get 
so  indignant  about  it.  You  used  to  hate  him  in  the 
beginning.     You  told  me  so  many  a  time,  you  know." 

Dulcie  colored.  "  Only  because  I  was  a  little  fool," 
she  said;  "and  now  I'm  making  up  for  it  by  being 
proud  of  him  all  I  can." 

'  Oh,  why  didn't  mamma  get  hold  of  an  elder 
brother  like  that  for  me?':  broke  out  Effie  suddenly, 
with  an  angry  stamp  of  her  foot.  "  Nobody  ever  gave 
me  what  I  really  wanted.  Sometimes  I  try  for  hours 
at  a  stretch  to  fancy  myself  a  boy,  so  that  I  might  feel 
what  it  is  like  to  be  my  own  brother." 

Dulcie  laughed  a  little,  but  immediately  resumed 
seriousness  when  she  saw  Effie  meant  what  she  said. 

"  Still,  I  haven't  kept  him  all  to  myself;  I've  let  you 
have  a  fair  share  of  him,  haven't  I?" 


200  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  That's  what  makes  it  worse.  It's  like  accepting 
charity.  Oh !  Dulcie,  you're  ever  so  much  better  than 
I  am.  If  he  were  mine,  you  could  have  broken  your 
heart,  and  I  wouldn't  have  let  you  have  even  his  little 
finger,  Dulcie,  stop  your  ears  while  I  say  it:  once 
or  twice  I  could  almost  have  hated  you  for  having 
to  be  grateful  to  you.     Am  I  not  wicked?  ': 

"  Not  wicked,  only  very  proud,"  replied  Dulcie,  a 
little  disconcerted  by  Effie's  vehemence;  "  but  then, 
of  course,  it  isn't  your  fault  that  your  papa  comes 
from  those  old  Jewish — what  do  you  call  them?  Oh! 
yes,  Hidalgos." 

"  Not  my  fault?  "  echoed  Effie  with  glistening  eyes. 
"  And  perhaps  you  think  I  blame  him  for  it?  Why,  I'd 
sooner  be  a  Spanish  Jewess  than  an  English  duchess, 
though  it  isn't  such  a  bad  thing  to  be  that.  Oh,  they 
were  a  grand  lot!  I've  read  all  about  them — every 
word.  You  know,  Phil  once  wrote  an  essay  about 
them,  and  I  got  hold  of  it  on  the  sly.  And  when  he 
came  to  describe  how  they  were  burnt  before  all  the 
people — well,  I  could  almost  smell  the  burning 
flesh.  .  .  ." 

"  Ugh,"  interjected   Dulcie. 

"  And  could  hear  them  singing  '  The  Lord  is 
King,'  with  their  last  breath — oh!  it  was  fine.  You 
don't  know  how  sorry  I  am  I  wasn't  born  in  those 
days,"  went  on  Effie  with  rapturous  regret,  "  just  for 
the  glory  of  getting  burnt  at  the  stake  and  having 
essays  written  about  you.  Now  I  can  just  imagine 
myself  walking  along  in  the  procession!  I  bet  you 
I'd  have  made  the  Grand  Inquisitor  so  angry  that  he 
wouldn't  have  given  me  any  brushwood,  so  that  I 
might  frizzle  longer.  And  I  should  have  enjoyed  it 
tremendously — especially  the  procession." 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  2Ol 

"  Yes,  but  didn't  they  have  to  wear  sugar-loaf  hats, 
and  long  robes  with  things  painted  on  them?  "  Dulcie 
reminded  her. 

Erne's  face  fell.  "  Oh,  I  forgot  that.  That  wouldn't 
have  done  at  all.  You  can't  look  very  stately  and 
dignified  with  a  sugar-loaf  hat  on  your  head  and  col- 
ored little  devils  crawling  all  over  your  dress,  can 
you?" 

"  Not  very,"  agreed  Dulcie. 

"  And  that's  I  think  the  real  reason  why  some  of 
the  women  pretended  to  turn  Christian,"  said  Effie 
with  conviction. 

Dulcie,  however,  was  thinking  of  something  else. 

"  But  it's  a  good  thing  to  be  proud;  I  wish  I  were." 

"What  makes  you  say  that?" 

i  Then,  perhaps,  I  should  leave  off  sending  people 
messages  when  they  don't  answer  them,." 

4  Dulcie,  you  haven't  been  writing  love-letters?" 

"Effie,  how  can  you  say  that!" 

"  Well,  then,  why  make  so  much  mystery?  " 

"  I  didn't  make  any  mystery.  I  told  you  each  time 
I  did  it.  About  Phil's  brother,  you  know — asking 
him  to  come  and  see  us." 

"  There  you  are  again,  with  Phil's  brother.  That's 
all  you  seem  to  think  of." 

'  I  don't,"  cried  Dulcie  indignantly;  "  I  don't  think 
of  him  for  months  at  a  time.  It's  only  when  I  happen 
to  hear  mamma  telling  Uncle  Bram  about  the  poor 
people  she's  been  to  see  down  the  East  End  that  I  re- 
mind myself  of  the  time — twice  it  was — when  mamma 
let  me  come  with  her,  and  how  sorry  I  felt  for  him 
with  his  thin  cheeks  and  peaky  mouth  and  patched 
elbows.  .  .  I  only  want  to  meet  him  once  more,  just 
to  see  whether  he  still  looks  so  hungry." 


202  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  Well,  why  don't  you  ask  Phil?  " 

"What!  ask  Phil  whether  his  brother  still  looks 
starved?  "  cried  Dulcie,  aghast 

u  No,  I  don't  suppose  he  would  like  it,"  conceded 
Effie  hastily.  "  But  I  wouldn't  worry  any  more  about 
the  other  one;  he  can't  be  up  to  much,  or  he  wouldn't 
keep  on  hiding  himself  like  that.  I  dare  say  he's  be- 
come a  cobbler's  boy  or  something  equally  grand, 
and  goes  about  all  day  with  a  greasy  apron  and  a  dirty 
face." 

"  Perhaps  it  is  as  you  say,  Effie;  but  I  do  hope  he 
isn't  a  cobbler's  boy,"  said  Dulcie  fervently;  "  for 
Phil's  sake,"  she  added  as  an  afterthought. 

Her  uncertainty  on  the  matter  was  natural,  consid- 
ering the  fact  that  Phil,  acting  on  Leuw's  instructions, 
only  referred  to  the  latter's  occupation  in  vague  and 
general  terms;  and  the  recollection  of  this,  recurring 
to  Dulcie's  mind,  tended  to  add  a  darker  hue  to  her 
misgivings.  It  made  her  very  sad.  She  wished  with 
all  her  heart  that  she  could  get  herself  to  believe  in 
Leuw  Lipcott.  She  would  even  have  preferred  to 
know  that  he  spurned  her  overtures  for  further  ac- 
quaintance out  of  pure  dislike  for  herself,  rather  than 
out  of  a  sense  of  his  own  unworthiness.  She  would 
have  preferred  it — for  Phil's  sake,  she  told  herself. 

A  vigorous  tug  at  the  street  bell  roused  her  from 
the  meditations  into  which  she  had  drifted. 

''  Auntie  Duveen,"  cried  Effie. 

"  No,  she  doesn't  ring  like  that — it's  Uncle  Bram," 
said  Dulcie. 

"  I  say,  Dulcie,  while  I  think  of  it,  you  won't  tell 
Phil  I've  been  crying  such  a  lot?" 

"  Of  course  not." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  203 

"  Nor  that  I  read  his  essay  on  the  sly?  " 

"  Unless  I  want  to  own  up  about  myself  as  well/' 
smiled  Dulcie.  "  Where  do  you  think  I  got  to  know 
about  the  sugar-loaf  hats?" 

A  resonant  "  ahem  '  outside  the  door  precluded  a 
further  interchange  of  confessions,  and  sent  the  two 
flying  into  the  arms  of  the  entering  Uncle  Bram.  The 
part  of  him  that  received  first  attention  was  his 
pockets. 

'  Now,  then,  you  thieves — I  shall  have  you  up  for 
highway  robbery,"  he  exclaimed,  looking  ludicrously 
grim  and  bristling,  but  standing  stiff  as  a  statue  to 
facilitate  the  process  of  overhauling.  Effie  and  Dulcie 
squeaked  delighted  defiance  at  his  anger,  and  flour- 
ished their  booty — pink  square  boxes  tied  with  rose 
ribbon — provokingly  in  his  face.  Such  was  usually 
the  routine  of  Uncle  Bram's  entrance. 

"  Pay  up  immediately — no  credit  given,"  he  com- 
manded. And  he  had  no  need  to  play  the  dun;  the 
two  mouths  settled  promptly. 

Then,  having  put  himself  back  into  tolerable  shape, 
Uncle  Bram  asked:  "Any  letter  or  wire  from  Phil? 
Jane  said  she  didn't  know." 

'  Nothing  since  last  night,"  replied  Dulcie,  not  very 
distinctly. 

'  H'm,"  grumbled  Uncle  Bram,  "  if  I  had  known 
that,  I  shouldn't  have  hurried  so  to  get  back." 

"  Oh !  that's  why  you  promised  to  come  in  early, 
did  you?'"  pouted  Effie.  "Then  you  can  go  away 
again." 

"And  come  back  with  more  chocolates,  eh?  Oh! 
the  ingratitude  of  this  world,"  said  Uncle  Bram  sor- 
rowfully to  the  ceiling. 


204 


SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 


kk  Then  don't  make  uncomplimentary  remarks/1  re- 
torted Effie;  "  we're  as  good  as  Phil  any  day,  though 
we  may  not  be  half  so  clever!  ' 

"  Dulcie,  won't  you  protect  your  poor  old  uncle 
against  these  cruelties?"  groaned  Uncle  Bram. 

"  Certainly  not — you  deserve  them.  But  you  can 
have  a  caramel  if  you  promise  not  to  do  it  again." 

And  what  could  Uncle  Bram  do  but  swallow  the 
caramel — for  which  he  had  a  cordial  dislike — as  a  tacit 
guarantee  of  good  behavior?  He  had  long  ago  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  be  useless  to  attempt 
to  revolt  against  his  self-imposed  oppressors.  But 
even  thus  he  could  not  resist  the  folly  of  trying  to 
wreak  upon  them  a  cruel  revenge. 

"  To-morrow  evening  begins  the  Feast  of  Taber- 
nacles," he  said  reflectively. 

"  Yes,  and  we're  going  to  help  to  decorate  the 
Synagogue  Tabernacle,"  cried  Effie. 

"  Like  we  did  last  year  and  the  year  before,"  added 
Dulcie  proudly. 

It  may  be  stated  for  the  benefit  of  the  uninitiated — if 
only  in  illustration  of  the  tenacity  of  the  Jewish  char- 
acter— that  the  forty  years  of  wanderings  in  the  wil- 
derness are  commemorated  even  now,  after  the  lapse 
of  a  score  and  a  half  of  centuries,  by  the  erection  of 
wooden  foliage-roofed  structures — symbolic  tents.  As 
a  compromise  for  those  whom  lack  of  space  or  in- 
clination forefends  from  attaching  such  a  one  to  their 
homes,  there  exists,  adjoining  most  places  of  worship, 
a  congregational  building,  in  the  beautification  of 
which  the  lady  relatives  of  the  more  prominent  mem- 
bers take  a  special  delight.  Hence  the  futile  fiendish- 
ness  of  Uncle  Bram's  plan. 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  205 

"  I  presume  you  are  aware  that  I'm  the  warden  of 
our  Synagogue,"  he  continued  with  affected  guileless- 
ness. 

"  Of  course,"  replied  Dulcie;  "  that's  exactly  why  we 
get  permission  to  make  ourselves  useful." 

"  That's  exactly  why  to-morrow  you  will  not  get 
permission  to  make  yourselves  useful,"  mimicked 
L^ncle   Bram. 

'What  do  you  mean?  You  can't  stop  us,"  said 
Dulcie. 

"  Can't  I?  I  shall  simply  give  Mr.  Brown,  the  care- 
taker, strict  orders  not  to  admit  you." 

Dulcie  laughed  out  derisively,  but  Effie,  somehow, 
seemed  inclined  to  take  the  matter  more  seriously. 

"  And  you  know  what  I  will  do?"  she  said,  plant- 
ing herself  formidably  in  front  of  Uncle  Bram.  "  I'll 
sneak  out  while  the  service  is  on,  and  pull  everything 
to  pieces — I  will." 

Dulcie  plucked  her  furtively  by  the  sleeve  and  whis- 
pered: 

"  Don't  Effie;  don't  you  see  he's  only  joking?" 

"What!  Uncle  Bram,  you  were  only  joking? ,: 
asked  Effie  with  a  naivete  which  ought  to  have  warned 
everybody  who  only  knew  her  a  quarter. 

But  Uncle  Bram,  the  simpleton,  took  her  in  good 
faith  and  guffawed  hugely. 

"  In  that  case,  he's  got  to  be  punished  for  fright- 
ening us,"  continued  Effie,  affecting  a  great  indigna- 
tion.    "  Dulcie,  what  is  he  to  buy  you?" 

Then  Uncle  Bram  saw  the  trap  into  which  he  had 
been  lured,  and,  though  he  struggled  heroically,  he 
was  not  let  off  before  having  been  mulcted  of  a 
"  Daniel  Deronda  "  for  Dulcie — all  for  her  own  self, 


206  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

with  her  name  on  the  fly-leaf — and  an  album  of 
Brahms  for  Effie.  Possibly  it  might  have  gone  much 
harder  with  him,  were  it  not  for  the  arrival  of  Mrs. 
Duveen,  who  was  known  to  object  to  such  exploita- 
tion of  her  brother.  Her  first  question  was  about 
news  from  Phil. 

"  I  can't  understand  it,"  she  said  disappointedly; 
"he  must  have  written  last  night.  Ah!  here  it  is," 
she  exclaimed  as  the  perennial  Jane  brought  in  a  letter 
on  a  tray. 

"  That's  not  from  Phil,"  said  Effie,  though  she  was 
furthest  off. 

"  Oh  no,  it  isn't,"  cried  Mrs.  Duveen,  almost  drop- 
ping it  in  her  vexation.  "  From  whom  can  it  be?  Oh, 
dear,  it's  from  that  Mrs.  Diamond,"  she  went  on,  her 
vexation  now  tempered  with  amusement.  "  Invitation 
cards  for  something:  '  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Diamond  re- 
quest the  pleasure  of  your  company  on  the  occasion 
of  their  being  Bridegroom  of  the  Law,''  she  read; 
"  and  here's  another  for  you  Bram— to  the  Treasurer 
of  the  Synagogue  Union,  and  another -to  Miss  Dulcie 
and  Master  Phil,  and  a  four-page  letter  to  all  of  us — 
what  on  earth  are  we  to  do*,  Bram?  " 

"  Go,  of  course,"  said  Bram;  "  you  know  she  won't 
leave  us  in  peace  till  she  has  dragged  us  down  to  her 
house." 

"I  suppose  so,"  agreed  Mrs,  Duveen  resignedly; 
'  so  let's  start  at  making  up  our  minds  to  it  at  once. 
Oh!  what  a  nuisance — and  I  kept  away  as  long  as  pos- 
sible to  give  Phil's  wire  more  chance  of  coming." 

'  Don't  fidget  like  that,  Rose,"  said  Uncle  Bram. 
'  Surely  Phil  can  be  trusted  to  take  care  of  himself." 

'  I  am  not  thinking  of  that,  Bram,  but  I'm  afraid 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  207 

it's  a  bad  sign.  He  said  the  papers  were  looked 
through  immediately,  and  the  result  known  the  day 
after;  that's  to-day." 

'  Phil's  never  missed  anything  he's  gone  in  for,  and 
he'd  be  so  disgusted  to  break  his  record,"  chimed  in 
Dulcie. 

Effie  said  nothing,  but  her  face  bore  a  curious  ex- 
pression of  consciousness,  which,  however,  no  one  re- 
marked; and,  of  course,  it  never  struck  anybody  to 
ask  whether  it  was  something  more  than  good  eye- 
sight that  made  her  so  pat  in  declaring  that  the  ad- 
dress on  the  letter  just  received  was  not  in  Phil's  hand- 
writing. Then  they  all  went  down  to  dinner,  during 
which  Mrs.  Diamond's  invitation  came  in  for  more 
detailed  discussion;  Effie  proved  herself  vastly  enter- 
taining by  giving  excellent  imitations  of  that  good 
lady's  more  pronounced  peculiarities,  whereat  even 
Mrs.  Duveen  could  only  exclaim,  •■'  Don't  Effie,"  and 
laugh.  But  despite  the  merriment  many  an  anxious 
glance  was  cast  at  the  mantle-piece  clock,  and  when  it 
struck  nine,  a  general  air  of  resignation  settled  down 
upon  the  room. 

A  minute  or  two  later  the  door  opened,  and  Phil 
stepped  in  with  a  "  Good  evening,  all  you  people. 
Don't  look  so  frightened.  I  came  in  through  the 
area-door." 

"Well?"  came  a  shout  from  Mrs.  Duveen,  Uncle 
Bram,  and  Dulcie. 

"  He's  got  it,"  said  Effie  calmly. 

"Yes,  I've  got  it  right,"  laughed  Phil;  "and  I'll 
have  some  supper,  too,  if  you  don't  mind." 

*  Oh,  you  naughty,  naughty  boy,"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Duveen,  reproachfully;  "why  didn't  you  wire?  We 
should  have  known  it  hours  ago." 


208  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  I  thought  you  might  prefer  me  to  be  my  own  mes- 
senger," answered  Phil,  a  little  awkwardly,  perhaps. 

"You  weren't  born  with  that  hat  on,  were  you?" 
jested  Uncle  Bram. 

"Oh!  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Phil,  removing  it, 
and  at  the  same  time  looking  at  Effie,  who  nodded 
intelligently.  Phil  made  a  rather  spasmodic  supper, 
because  between  his  mouthfuls  he  had  to  answer  at 
least  three  questions  concerning  his  first  impressions 
and  experiences  of  the  "  'Varsity/'  as  he  insisted  on 
calling  it  on  every  possible  occasion;  nor  did  the  mar- 
velous additions  to  his  vocabulary,  such  as  "  dons," 
"  gyPs>"  "  commons,"  "  bed-maker,"  "  oak-sporting," 
and  other  academic  technicalities,  fail  to  produce  the 
due  effect  of  awe  on  his  wide-eared  listeners.  Alto- 
gether this  was  a  different  Phil  to  the  one  of  only 
four  days  ago.  He  had  brought  back  with  him  an 
air  of  assurance,  of  manly  nonchalance — his  very 
voice  seemed  to  have  become  deeper,  fuller;  and 
Uncle  Bram  was  debating  with .  himself  seriously 
whether  or  not  he  ought  to  offer  him  a  cigar. 

"  When    do    they    expect    you    up?"    asked    Mrs. 
Duveen. 

"  Next  Monday  week,"  replied  Phil. 

"  And  you  won't  be  sorry  to  get  rid  of  us  common- 
place people,  eh,  young  man?"  asked  Uncle  Bram 
genially. 

Phil's  face  assumed  a  very  serious  look — much  more 
serious  than  the  pleasantry  warranted — as  he  an- 
swered : 

"  Indeed,  I  shall,  Uncle  Bram." 

"  And  then  he'll  soon  be  back  here  again;  term  only 
lasts  eight  weeks,"  said  Effie,  proud  of  being  the  first 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  209 

to  remember  the  mitigatory  fact.  But  it  seemed 
strange  that  Phil,  who  surely  was  cognizant  of  it  bet- 
ter than  anyone,  should  have  omitted  to  adduce  it,  and 
stranger  still  that,  now  it  had  been  pointed  out,  he 
should  let  it  pass  without  corroboration.  Nay,  more 
— he  appeared  embarrassed,  and  Mrs.  Duveen  noted 
it. 

"  There,  don't  worry  him  any  more,"  she  said,  "  or 
we'll  never  get  him  to  tell  us  anything  again.  It's  our 
turn  now  to  give  him  a  sensation." 

And  glad  of  the  wherewithal  to  create  a  diversion, 
she  produced  Mrs.  Diamond's  invitation, 

"  Will  you  come?"  asked  Effie  anxiously. 

"  Certainly,  if  you're  all  going,"  replied   Phil. 

"  Then  we  may  as  well  answer  at  once,  and  set  the 
poor  soul's  mind  at  rest,"  suggested  Uncle  Bram; 
and  Mrs.  Duveen  agreed. 

"  And  I'm  going  to  see  that  you  don't  forget  to 
mention  we  are  going  to  bring  Effie,"  said  Dulcie,  fol- 
lowing them  out  into  the  library. 

Effie  and  Phil  remained  alone  with  a  somewhat 
strained  silence  between  them  that  made  the  room 
look  twice  its  size.  Presently  Effie  got  up,  humming 
a  snatch  of  song,  a  little  out  of  tune,  and  walked  over 
to  the  piano.  The  music-stool  seemed  strangely  re- 
fractory, because  it  required  a  good  deal  of  handling 
before  it  would  stand  properly  in  the  centre. 

But  she  had  only  got  through  the  opening  bars  of  a 
furious  allegro  that  sounded  horribly  out  of  keeping 
with  the  preceding  stillness,  when  she  jumped  straight 
off  the  stool,  came  over  to  where  Phil  was  standing 
watching  her,  and  looked  at  him  hard. 

"  So  you  kept  your  word,"  she  said. 

T4 


210  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  Of  course  I  did.     Didn't  you  think  I  would?  ' 

"  No,  but  I  wish  you  hadn't" 

"Why!  I  thought  you  wanted  to  .  .  ." 

"Yes,  yes,"  came  the  querulous  reply;  "I  wanted 
to  be  mean,  as  mean  as  mean  could  be,  and  you 
oughtn't  to  have  let  me." 

"  I'm  very  sorry,"  said  Phil,  half  at  random. 

"  It  didn't  strike  me  till  I  saw  how  terribly  Auntie 
Duveen  fidgeted,"  continued  Effie.  "  If  I  hadn't  been 
such  a  miserable  coward,  I  should  have  gone  up  to  her 
and  said:  '  It's  my  fault.  I  made  him  promise  not  to 
write,  because  I  wanted  to  know  the  result  before 
anybody  else  did,  if  only  a  second  earlier,  and  if  he 
keeps  his  hat  on  when  he  comes  in,  it  means  that  he's 
got  it.  And  for  the  sake  of  just  one  second,  I'm 
giving  you  hours  of  agony.'  It  was  like  a — like  a 
conspiracy.     Oh,  Phil,  why  didn't  you  tell  me  of  it?  ' 

Phil  looked  past  her.  "  I  did  want  to  tell  you," 
he  quavered;  "but  you  were  so  sad  and  wretched  at 
your  father  and  mother  having  gone  away,  and  I 
thought  it  would  please  you  if  I  agreed  to  what  you 
asked — it  did  please  you  a  little,  didn't  it?" 

Effie  nodded  mournfully. 

"  And  then,  for  another  thing,"  added  Phil,  his  voice 
quite  steady,  "  you  deserved  to  know  first." 

She  lifted  her  eyes  in  wonder.  "  Deserved  it? 
How?" 

"  I  don't  think  I  should  have  done  such  good  work 
if  I  hadn't  known  you,"  replied  Phil,  his  tone  once 
more  unsteady. 

Effie  shook  her  head  pensively.  "  I  can't  imagine 
how  I  made  any  difference." 

'  I  can't  either,"  said  Phil  readily,  "  but  I  fancy  it 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  2II 

was  my  listening  to  your  .  .  ."  and  Phil  jerked  his 
head  in  the  direction  of  the  piano. 

"  But  I  never  saw  you  listen,"  said  Effie,. 

"  Did  you  look?  "  asked  Phil  with  a  smile. 

Effie  hesitated.  "  Well,  yes,  I  did  look,"  she  replied 
finally,  "  ever  so  many  times;  and  you  just  sat  there 
reading  away  for  dear  life,  it  seemed  like,  and  for  all 
you  cared  I  might  play  myself  dead." 

"  In  fact,  you  thought  me  stone  deaf." 

"  I  thought  you  awfully  rude,  and  so  I  was  ditto, 
and  never  asked  whether  I  was  disturbing  you." 

'  No,  Effie,  it  was  not  dittoness  that  stopped  you 
from  asking;  it  was  a  bit  of  unconscious  reasoning," 
said  Phil,  springing  the  phrase  on  her  cautiously. 
'  You  argued  with  yourself  that  if  you  had  been  dis- 
turbing me,  I  should  have  taken  myself  off  to  my 
room." 

'  But  you  never  asked  me  to  play,"  said  Effie,  a  little 
inconsequently. 

"  You  might  have  refused.  One  never  knows  how 
to  take  you." 

'  That  means  you  can  never  tell  whether  I'm  going 
to  be  nasty,"  said  Effie  ruffling. 

"  Or  nice,"  added  Phil;  "  and  I  had  to  protect  my- 
self.    I  should  have  felt  so  hurt  at  the  other  thing." 

Effie's  great  eyes  became  greater.  "Would  you?" 
she  asked.  "  I  never  dreamed  you  noticed  anything  I 
said  or  did." 

"  As  much  as  what  other  people  said  or  did!  " 

"  Only  as  much?"  asked  Effie  anxiously. 

"  Well,  a  bit  more.  I  don't  mind  telling  you,  now 
that  we  aren't  going  to  see  so  much  of  each  other." 

"  No,"  said  Effie  regretfully,  continuing  with  more 


212  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

cheerfulness:   "  but,   of   course,   there   are   holidays — 
vacations,  you  call  them,  don't  you?  r 

"  I  don't  know  about  the  vacations,"  said  Phil,  quite 
gruffly. 

"What  d'you  mean  you  don't  know?" 

Before  Phil  could  answer,  descending  footsteps  in- 
formed them  of  the  return  of  the  three  letter-writers. 

"What  shall  we  do  about  the — the  conspiracy?'2 
asked  Erne  hurriedly.     "  Shall  I  tell?  " 

"I  wouldn't;  at  least,  it  will  pay  Aunt  better  if 
you  don't," 

"How's  that?" 

"  Because  now  we'll  have  to  love  her  harder  to 
make  up  for  the  wrong  we've  done  her." 

There  was  a  harshness  in  Phil's  tone  that  struck 
Effie  as  strange  and  unnecessary;  but  before  she  could 
investigate  its  cause,  Dulcie  had  bounded  into  the 
room,  followed,  more  leisurely,  by  the  two  others. 

"Don't  look  so  anxious,  Effie,"  said  Dulcie;  "we 
didn't  forget  to  mention  you." 

Effie  shrugged  her  shoulders  ungratefully.  Having 
disposed  of  the  "  conspiracy  "  question,  her  mind  had 
reverted  to  Phil's  mysterious  hint  anent  the  vacations. 
She  remembered  that  he  owed  her  an  answer;  but 
whatever  it  might  be,  she  would  have  to  claim  it  on  a 
future  occasion,  for  Mrs.  Duveen  pointed  warningly 
to  the  lateness  of  the  hour.  To  the  surprise  of  every- 
body, Effie  submitted  without  the  customary  skirmish 
for  an  extension  of  time,  and  only  Phil  guessed  the 
truth:  this  was  the  first  item  in  her  scheme  of  repara- 
tion. 

The  departure  of  the  two  girls  was  followed  at  no 
long  interval  by  that  of  Uncle  Bram. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  213 

"  I'd  like  to  pat  you  on  the  head,"  he  said  at  part- 
ing, to  Phil;  "  but  I  suppose  you  would  consider  that 
an  insult — so  here's  instead." 

Phil's  fingers  closed  cordially  over  the  extended 
hand  of  the  other,  so  cordially  that  Uncle  Bram  could 
not  forbear  to  repeat  once  more,  this  time  half  in 
earnest,  a  boast  he  had  formulated  some  time  ago 
jestingly: 

u  Your  masters  may  have  taught  you  a  lot  of  Latin 
and  Greek,  but  I  have  taught  you  a  thing  which  is 
quite  as  valuable  in  life — how  to  shake  hands  prop- 
erly.    So  long,  boy,'' 

When  Phil  came  back  into  the  room  he  found  Mrs. 
Duveen  comfortably  ensconced  in  an  arm-chair. 

'What,  going  to  make  a  late  night  of  it,  Aunt?" 
he  said  with  a  gaiety  that  sounded  forced. 

"  Well,  we  have  a  rather  important  point  to  settle," 
replied  Mrs.  Duveen,  "  and  we  may  as  well  get  done 
with  it  as  soon  as  possible.  I  mean,  of  course,  your 
allowance  at  Cambridge." 

Phil's  eyes  dropped,  and  he  had  to  clear  his  throat 
before  he  replied:  "  No,  Aunt,  that  matter  is  all  set- 
tled. My  sizarship  is  worth  a  hundred  a  year,  and 
then  I  shall  have  a  leaving  exhibit  of  sixty  from  the 
school." 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen  unsuspiciously, 
1  because  I  have  enquired.  It  can  be  done  on  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty,  and  less,  perhaps,  but  there  is  abso- 
lutely no  reason  why  you  should  stint  yourself. 
Above  all,  I  am  anxious  that  you  should  get  the  full 
benefit  of  the  social  side  of  the  University  life..  And 
that  costs  money." 

"  Still  I  shall  manage  all  right  on  what  I've  got  of 


214  S0NS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

my  own/'  said  Phil  with  a  curious  persistence.  Mrs. 
Duveen  looked  at  him  in  wonder. 

"  I  don't  understand  you,  Phil/'  she  said  helplessly. 
Phil  returned  her  glance  very  steadily  as  he  replied: 

"  Let  me  explain,  Aunt.  I  don't  think  it's  right 
of  me  to  accept  your  help  now  that  I  can  stand  by 
myself.  You  can  easily  find  a  better  object  for  the 
money  you  want  to  spend  on  me.  If  I  took  it,  I 
might  perhaps  be  robbing  somebody  else." 

Airs.  Duveen's  hands  moved  nervously  in  her  lap; 
her  mouth  was  very  tense.  "  I  think  you  are  right, 
Phil,"  she  replied  quietly.  "  No  doubt  it  will  be  to 
your  advantage  to  start  as  early  as  possible  training 
yourself  in  habits  of  independence.  I  am  sorry — I 
ought  to  have  thought  of  it  before." 

"  Well,  you  see,  Aunt,"  said  Phil  eagerly,  "  it 
never  struck  me  till  the  other  day  when  1  went  to  see 
Leuw  and  mother  in  the  new  home.  You  don't  know 
what  Leuw  has  done;  he  has  simply  done  wonders,  all 
single-handed,  or  nearly  all.  It  has  -made  a  man  of 
him,  too." 

"  Yes,  I  dare  say  he's  a  good  example  to  follow," 
said  Mrs.  Duveen,  yet  more  quietly  than  before — al- 
most in  a  whisper. 

"  It  will  help  me  tremendously  to  know  I've  got 
nothing  to  expect  from  anybody  but  myself,"  resumed 
Phil  quite  buoyantly.  "  Of  course,  the  first  few  vaca- 
tions they  will  have  to  keep  me  on  trust.  .  ." 

Mrs.  Duveen  sat  up  as  though  stung.  "  Keep  you 
on  trust?     Who?" 

'  I  forgot,"  said  Phil  in  confusion.  "  I  ought  to 
have  told  you  that  when  I  come  back  to  town  I  intend 
to  live  at  mother's." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  215 

Beyond  paling  a  little,  Mrs.  Duveen  showed  un- 
moved as  she  said: 

"  Yes,  you  ought  certainly  to  do  that." 

Phil  kept  silent,  disconcerted  at  the  ease  with  which 
he  had  won  what  he  had  looked  forward  to  as  a  hard- 
fought  struggle. 

"  It  would  be  bad  for  you  to  remain  in  surroundings 
that  will  remind  you  of  a  time  when  you  did  not  ex- 
pect everything  from  yourself,"  added  Mrs.  Duveen 
gently. 

Phil  started.  So  the  fight  was  not  yet  over;  per- 
haps it  was  only  beginning.  At  any  rate,  he  had  his 
first  wound. 

"  Don't  think  me  ungrateful,"  he  said  humbly;  "I 
shall  never  forget  what  you  have  done  for  me." 

"  This  isn't  a  question  of  gratitude,"  replied  Mrs. 
Duveen  with  apparent  calm;  "it  is  a  mere  matter  of 
exchange.  You  have  given  me  good  value  in  return 
for  anything  I  may  have  done  for  you.  During  the 
six  years  you  stayed  under  my  roof  you  added  greatly 
to  my  happiness.  You  made  me  forget  the  afflictions 
I  have  suffered  more  easily  than  I  should  have  done 
otherwise,  and  at  best  I  could  only  look  upon  you  as 
a  loan,  never  as  a  gift  There  has  always  been  a  tacit 
contract  between  us  that  the  arrangement  should  ter- 
minate as  soon  as  one  or  the  other  of  us  grew  tired 
of  it.  I  could  guarantee  for  myself,  but  I  was  ever 
ready  for  the  moment,  which  had  to  come  sooner  or 
later,  when  your  heart  would  drag  you  back  to  your 
own  people,  when  you  would  resent  the  attempt  of  a 
stranger  to  filch  a  tithe  of  the  affection  you  ought  to 
bestow  elsewhere  without  discount  or  deduction.  No, 
Phil,  I  repeat  that  no  consideration  of  gratitude  ought 


216  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

to  make  you  waver  in  your  decision.  I  admit  cheer- 
fully the  balance  of  advantage  was  on  my  side." 

Phil  was  nonplussed;  Mrs.  Duveen's  attitude  was 
so  foreign  to  that  which  he  thought  natural  in  her 
under  the  circumstances. 

Greatly  to  his  surprise,  he  felt  something  like  anger 
steal  over  him. 

"There,  wasn't  I  right?'5  he  said  almost  bitterly. 
"  I  only  mention  the  idea  of  my  leaving  you,  and  you 
show  yourself  perfectly  satisfied;  you  don't  make  the 
slightest  effort  to  keep  me  back.  Why,  you  simply 
seem  to  jump  at  the  chance  of  getting  rid  of  me." 

Mrs.  Duveen's  face  flushed  slightly — hope  had 
breathed  upon  it.  She  was  meeting  an  extreme  situa- 
tion with  extreme  measures,  and  it  seemed  she  had 
achieved  something  already. 

1  My  dear  Phil,"  she  said  with  an  uncertain  smile, 
"  if  this  were  only  a  ruse  of  yours  to  test  my  apprecia- 
tion of  you,  I  should  have  seen  through  it  and  an- 
swered differently.  But  you  have  made  it  too  plain 
that  you  regard  your  relationship  to  me  as  a  yoke, 
and  then  you  expect  me  to  give  away  my  pride  by 
asking  you  to  go  on  wearing  it.  When  all  is  over 
between  us,  I  want  you  to  think  of  me  with  respect." 

The  words  were  measured  and  dispassionate — not 
even  the  sharpest  ear  could  have  detected  the  heart- 
beats that  pulsed  furiously  behind  them.  Phil  stared 
before  him  in  baffled  bewilderment.  What  was  he 
to  do  now?  He  wanted  her  to  remonstrate,  to  oppose 
his  project  tooth  and  nail,  so  that  he  might  have  an 
opportunity  for  arguing  and  convincing — not  her, 
but  himself,  that  he  was  right.  Rut  above  this  un- 
questioning acquiescence   of  hers,   the   inmost   voice 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  217 

of  his  conscience  rang  out  with  terrible  distinctness. 
It  did  not  flatter  him;  it  dwarfed  what  he  had  dignified 
with  the  name  of  a  great  and  noble  resolution  into  its 
true  proportions  as  an  act  of  ignoble  thoughtlessness. 
That  surely,  it  told  him,  was  not  the  stuff  self-reliance 
was  made  of.  True  manliness  did  not  consist  in 
trampling  down,  but  in  stooping  lovingly  over  obliga- 
tions that  held  up  silently  appealing  hands.  And  that 
was  what  galled  him  most.  She  did  not  want  his 
gratitude;  nay,  rather  than  humble  herself  by  accept- 
ing it,  she  pretended  that  she  owed  him  thanks.  And 
then  his  heart  spake  out,  and  asked  him  why  he  had 
brought  upon  it  the  agony  of  cold  words  that  cut  like 
knives,  from  lips  whose  merest  breath  had  healed  and 
comforted,  had  wafted  the  balm  of  tender  solicitude. 
There  was  only  one  way  of  putting  an  end  to  such 
questions,  and  he  took  it. 

'  No,  Aunt,"  he  said,  coming  close  to  her  and  speak- 
ing fiercely,  "  you  ought  not  to  have  asked  me  to  stay. 
You  ought  not  to  have  said  a  single  word;  you  should 
just  have  pointed  with  your  finger  to  the  door." 

'  I  don't  know  whether  I  should  have  done  it  dra- 
matically enough,  and  besides — you  might  not  have 
understood,"  replied  Mrs.  Duveen,  smiling  tremu- 
lously. 

"  For  heaven's  sake,  Aunt,  don't  smile  at  me,  or 
you'll  make  me  blubber,  and  I  could  never  forgive 
you  for  that,  Why  should  you  smile  at  me?  For 
wanting  to  throw  you  away  like  an  old  glove  and  tell- 
ing you  of  it  as  unconcernedly  as  if  I  were  asking  you 
to  pass  the  mustard?  Oh,  Aunt,  if  you  would  only 
say  to  me,  *  Phil,  you  little  cad,'  I  should  consider  it 
the  highest  compliment  you've  ever  paid  me." 


2iS  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

"  No,  I  can't  flatter  you  so  much  as  that,"  said  Mrs. 
Duveen,  still  smiling  despite  Phil's  protest;  "  but  I'll 
make  a  compromise  and  say:  Phil,  you  five  foot  ten 
and  a  half  inches  of  stupidness,  don't  you  see  that  all 
this  had  to  come  one  day  or  another?  In  fact,  1 
should  have  been  disappointed  if  it  hadn't;  I  may  al- 
most say  alarmed.  You  are  only  passing  through 
your  phase  of  discontent  and  revolt,  like  all  men  of 
normal  constitution;  in  your  case  it  comes  a  little 
earlier,  but  then  you  always  were  precocious.  But 
you  can  hardly  be  held  responsible  for  whatever  shape 
the  outbreak  may  assume." 

Phil  bit  his  lip  gloomily.  "  That's  right,"  he  said, 
his  eyes  downcast,  "  go  on  making  apologies  for 
me.  Why  don't  you  say  straightway  I  have  behaved 
like  a  saint  and  a  gentleman?  But  I'll  tell  you  what 
my  '  outbreak  ' — it  sounds  quite  nice  like  that — has 
done  for  me,  and  it  couldn't  have  done  anything  bet- 
ter: it  knocked  me  off  my  little  pedestal  with  a  crash. 
Of  course,  you  didn't  notice  I  was  getting  as  conceited 
as  Lucifer — you  never  do  notice  anything  about  me 
that  you  can't  make  a  copy-book  text  out  of.  I  was 
getting  to  think  myself  such  a  decent  and  a  self- 
righteous  fellow  that  with  a  little  more  thinking  I 
should  have  grown  into  the  awfulest  prig  that  ever 
defiled  God's  earth.  You  see?  Some  good  is  sure 
to  come  out  of  anything  you  are  mixed  up  with." 

4  Hush,  Phil,"  said  Mrs,.  Duveen,  wan  and  haggard, 
for  the  strain  had  told  terribly.  "  You  must  forget  all 
about  it.  If  you  think  you  owe  me  an  apology,  I 
will  let  you  off  with  what  you  just  said." 

'  But  you  will  admit  that  I  have  more  cause  to  be 
grateful  to  you  than  you  to  me,"  demanded  Phil,  al- 
most threateningly. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY      219 

"  Why  should  I  want  your  gratitude  when  I  have 
you?"  came  the  fearless  reply. 

The  first  thing,  next  morning,  Effte  got  Phil  into  a 
corner,  and  heckled  him  as  to  what  he  meant  by  his 
reference  to  the  vacations. 

"  Not  much/'  replied  Phil;  "only,  like  most  boys, 
I  thought  I  could  grow  into  a  man  overnight/' 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

There  are  probably  few  men  or  women  so  meek  and 
lowly-minded  but  have,  at  one  time  or  another  in 
their  existence,  felt  themselves  the  hub  of  the  universe, 
if  only  for  a  minute,  an  hour,  a  day.  With  Mrs.  Dia- 
mond, whom  even  her  best  friend  could  not  accuse 
of  being  meek  and  humble-minded,  the  sensation 
lasted  for  a  week,  to  wit,  the  eight  days  dating  be- 
tween the  receipt  of  Mrs.  Duveen's  acceptance  and  the 
actual  occasion  to  which  it  referred.  It  really  showed 
remarkably  well  for  her  powers  of  endurance  that  she 
survived  fancying  herself  for  all  that  time  the  very 
essence  of  things  cosmic.  Contemporary  occurrences 
of  every  shade  and  size,  floods,  earthquakes,  wars  that 
changed  the  geography  of  the  earth,  the  overthrow 
of  cabinets,  phenomena  physical,  and  metaphysical, 
became  merged  and  centred  within  a  circumference 
that  could  be  measured  by  inches,  and  she  took  it  all 
smilingly.  Hardly  smilingly,  though,  for  the  bull-dog, 
don't-stop-me-Fm-in-a-hurry  expression  with  which 
she  shouldered  her  way  through  her  errands  would 
have  made  the  Himalayas  open  a  tunnel  for  her.  Hav- 
ing long  ago  convinced  herself  that  no  one  could  do 
things  half  so  well  as  herself,  she  jealously  usurped 
every  item  of  preparation,  except  the  most  menial 
tasks,  in  the  execution  of  which  she  kept  a  Cerberus 
eye  on  Mrs.  Saffron,  who  had  succeeded  Mrs.  Lip- 
cott  as  her  familiar  spirit-in-ordinary.  Any  offer  of 
assistance   from    sympathetic    neighbors    was    gruffly 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  22I 

refused  as  a  shameless  device  to  put  in  a  claim  for  an 
invitation;  and  the  affair — Mrs.  Diamond  could  not 
repeat  it  sufficiently  often  for  her  gratification — was 
to  be  strictly  select.  Of  course,  the  one  who  suffered 
most  severely  under  this  order  of  things  was  Mr. 
Diamond.  He  felt  as  in  a  city  under  military  law; 
the  strictness  of  regime  made  him  almost  afraid  to 
breathe,  and  smoking  had  been  interdicted  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course.  When  he  came  home  from  work,  tired 
and  hungry,  his  wife  set  before  him,  instead  of  the 
greatly-desired  dinner,  some  novel  idea  that  had 
struck  her  during  his  absence,  and  on  which  he  had 
to  expend  his  last  remaining  strength  in  mustering  up 
a  fictitious  admiration.  He  could  not  sit  down  with- 
out being  trodden  on;  he  could  not  stand  up  without 
being  swept  from  one  room  into  another;  and  yet  any 
suggestion  of  his  to  "  go  across  the  way  "  was  strongly 
resented,  because,  as  Mrs.  Diamond  once  told  him 
under  great  provocation,  she  did  not  see  the  reason 
why  she  should  nigger  herself  to  death  while  he  went 
about  gallivanting;  or — thus  she  corrected  herself  in 
a  tenderer  moment,  just  after  Mr.  Diamond  had 
handed  her  the  five  pound  note  by  which  she  exceeded 
her  original  estimate — because  she  wished  him  to  be 
on  the  spot  at  all  available  times  in  case  triere  was  any 
occasion  to  appeal  to  his  judgment,.  And  Mr.  Dia- 
mond swallowed  the  barefaced  fiction,  fervently  de- 
siring that  it  were  a  plump  veal  chop  instead. 

But,  although  he  tremblingly  refrained  from  any 
attempt  at  initiative,  all  mistakes  of  commission  and 
omission  were  promptly  put  down  to  his  account. 
Thus,  for  instance,  in  the  midst  of  an  amiable  dis- 
cussion— of  course,  it  was  really  a  monologue — on  the 


222  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

desirability  of  engaging  a  professional  pianist  for  the 
evening,  Mrs.  Diamond's  brows  suddenly  contracted 
with  a  jerk  that  made  her  husband  hold  tight  to  his 
chair. 

"  And  now  you've  forgotten  somebody,  Diamond," 
she  said,  eyeing  him  with  disfavor. 

"  I  dare  say  I  have,"  said  Mr.  Diamond,  anxiously 
accommodating,  "  but  I  had  an  idea  you  had  thought 
of  everybody  we  could  think  of." 

"Then  what  about  the  Lipcotts?" 

"  Quite  right,  Becky,  my  dear.  It'll  be  nice  for 
Phil  to  meet  them." 

"  Very  nice.  And  that's  enough  reason  for  you  to 
waste  two  extra  suppers,  eh?  Oh!  you  clever  man. 
Now  listen,  the  way  I  look  at  it  is  this..  That  boy 
Leuw,  who  you  thought  was  going  to  turn  out  such  a 
blackguard  .  .  ." 

"I  thought?" 

"  You.  thought,"  iterated  Mrs.  Diamond,  and  the 
argument  proceeded  no  further.  "  That  boy  Leuw  is 
going  to  be  somebody  one  of  these  days,  and  if  we 
don't  get  in  with  him  while  he  isn't,  it's  a  chance  lost. 
Dear!  dear!  Diamond,  when  will  you  learn  to  see 
further  than  your  nose?  " 

So  it  came  that  the  Lipcotts  were  asked  to  the 
"select  affair;"  and  Leuw,  on  being  told  so  by  his 
mother,  laughingly  declared  that  they  had  now  re- 
ceived their  patent  of  nobility,  and  the  least  they 
could  do  to  show  their  appreciation  of  the  unexpected 
compliment  was  to  adopt  the  invitation  card  as  a  coat- 
of-arms. 

It  always  struck  Mrs.  Diamond  regretfully,  when  in 
after  times  her  memory  harked  back  to  the  matter, 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  223 

that,  out  of  the  very  abundance  of  her  opportunity,  she 
had  neglected  to  taste,  to  the  fullest,  the  exhilaration 
of  those  great  days.  It  seemed  to  her  a  shocking  waste 
of  good  material.  For  example,  she  ought  to  have 
thrilled  considerably  more  on  seeing  in  the  columns 
of  the  "  Jewish  Examiner  " — she  could  spell  printed 
matter  painfully — among  the  list  of  Bridegrooms  of 
the  Law  for  the  various  Synagogues,  the  name  of  Mr. 
Lazarus  Diamond.  She  remembered  having  noticed 
with  great  satisfaction — but  not  with  sufficiently  great 
satisfaction — that  the  lengthy  nomenclature  of  Mr. 
Diamond's  Synagogue  had  necessitated  a  lapping  over 
of  the  line,  which  in  a  way  made  him  stand  out  dis- 
tinct and  prominent  among  the  other  figurants  in  the 
list.  She  blamed  herself  for  not  having  tried  hard 
enough  to  imagine  how  the  "  Mr."  would  have  looked 
with  the  addition  of  an  "  s,"  by  which  she  would  have 
come  within  easy  distance  of  realizing  the  great  am- 
bition of  her  life — that  of  having  her  name  chronicled 
in  the  public  press.  There  was,  however,  one  inci- 
dent which  she  never  divulged,  and  the  memory 
of  which  she  laboriously  thrust  from  her  mind.  This 
was  a  certain  interview  with  the  editor  of  the  above 
"  Examiner,"  in.  the  course  of  which  she  had  sug- 
gested that  a  reporter  should  be  lodged  in  her  house 
for  the  day,  in  order  to  take  full  and  accurate  notes 
of  the  proceedings,  to  which  suggestion  the  editor 
had  courteously  replied  that  he  did  not  think  the  occa- 
sion of  sufficient  communal  interest,  but  that  he  would 
have  much  pleasure — he  thoughtfully  did  not  say 
profit — in  inserting  a  home-made  account  at  the  usual 
advertisement  rates. 

It  was  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  day  of 


224 


SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 


days.  The  warden's  box,  the  bouquets,  the  laudatory 
preamble,  the  procession  of  the  Scrolls — all  the  glory 
and  triumphs  of  the  Synagogue  ceremonial  were 
things  of  the  past.  Mr.  and.  Mrs.  Diamond  were 
seated  at  what  they  anachronically  called  breakfast- 
alone.  The  "  alone  '  implies  a  bold  departure  from 
custom,  which  only  a  person  of  Mrs.  Diamond's  stand- 
ing and  strength  of  mind  dared  permit  herself.  For 
she  had  relegated  the  spread,  by  which  the  Bride- 
groom of  the  Law  is  expected  to  signalize  his  office 
immediately  after  the  morning  service,  to  the  evening 
program — converting  into  additional  prestige  for  her- 
self an  act  of  prudent  economy,  by  the  explanation  that 
she  had  to  do  so  out  of  compliment  to  certain  high- 
placed  friends  of  hers,  who  had  expressed  a  strong 
desire  to  do  her  honor  by  their  presence  at  the  func- 
tion. 

*'  I  don't  know  how  you  can  eat  so  heartily — I 
couldn't  touch  a  thing,"  said  Mrs.  Diamond. 

"  I'm  very  sorry,  Becky,  my  dear,"  said  Mr.  Dia- 
mond, leaving  it  doubtful  whether  he  was  expressing 
regret  at  the  greatness  of  his  own  appetite  or  the 
smallness  of  his  wife's. 

"  Not  that  I  say  you  don't  deserve  a  good  break- 
fast," continued  the  latter;  "  you  went  through  it  all 
beautifully." 

"  Thank  you,  Becky,  my  dear,"  said  Mr.  Diamond, 
a  little  half-heartedly.  He  had  hungered  for  many 
a  day  for  a  word  of  praise  from  his  wife,  and  now  that 
it  had  come  it  sounded  as  if  it  were  addressed  to  a 
performing  dog. 

'  I  do  hope  the  evening  will  go  off  all  right,  and 
the  Duveens  will  come  down  in  their  carriage,"  re- 
marked Mrs.  Diamond  with  piously  folded  hands. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  225 

Mr.  Diamond  professed  to  echo  the  wish  by  sigh- 
ing as  he  loaded  another  fried  sole  on  to  his  plate. 

'  Now  hurry  up  with  that,  because  you've  got  to — 
you  know  what.  I'll  just  go  into  the  kitchen  and 
look  after  Mrs.  Saffron." 

And  Mrs.  Diamond  swept  out  of  the  room  with  a 
rustlinganda  crackling  of  her  new  dress  of  stiff  brocade, 
which  gave  one  the  idea  that  she  would  momentarily 
burst  into  flame.  The  "  you-know-what  M  must  have 
been  something  distinctly  unpleasant;  for  it  killed  the 
last  vestiges  of  Mr.  Diamond's  appetite  so  completely 
that,  by  the  time  he  had  half  finished  his  sole,  he  fan- 
cied he  was  eating  his  way  through  a  whale.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  reference  was  to  the  speech  which 
Mr.  Diamond  had  composed,  at  the  dictation  of  his 
wife,  and  to  the  delivery  of  which  in  the  evening  he 
looked  forward  as  the  most  terrible  ordeal  of  his  life. 
Yesterday  he  was  nearly  word-perfect,  and  now  he 
dreaded  approaching  it  again,  for  fear  of  finding  that 
the  excitement  of  the  morning  had  unraveled  the 
laboriously  stitched  seams  of  his  memory.  With  a 
groan,  the  burden  of  which  he  divided  impartially  be- 
tween his  speech,  his  wife,  and  his  Bridegroomship 
of  the  Law,  he  walked  to  the  chiffonier,  took  out  the 
manuscript,  and  began  to  zig-zag  the  room  in  the 
achieving  of  his  desperate  task;  and  each  time  he 
passed  the  arm-chair,  which  yawned  at  him  its  soft- 
cushioned  enticements,  he  did  not  know  whether  to 
call  himself  martyr  or  hero. 

An  hour  after,  Mrs.  Diamond  came  back  and  took 

him    in    hand   for   rehearsal.     She   knew    the    speech 

from  beginning  to  end,  only  from  hearing  him  read  it 

twelve  times — a  fact  she  pointed  out  to  him  in  proof 

15 


226  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

of  what  the  human  mind  can  do  if  backed  by  a  little 
intelligence;  only  she  did  not  put  it  so  nicely.  Mr. 
Diamond  got  on  much  better  than  he  had  expected, 
perhaps  because  his  wife  played  upon  his  receptive- 
ness  by  endearing  phrases  like: 

"  Diamond,  if  you  disgrace  me  to-night,  I  shall  get 
a  divorce!  " 

About  four  o'clock  a  merciful  diversion  arrived  in 
the  shape  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Preager,  followed  immedi- 
ately after  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tannenbaum.  Their 
early  appearance  was  justified  in  the  first  place  by  the 
intimacy  of  their  acquaintance  with  the  givers  of  the 
feast,  and  secondly,  by  their  having  obliged  with  the 
loan  of  cutlery  and  crockery,  in  recompense  for  which 
they  thought  themselves  entitled  to  a  fair  length  of 
start  in  the  sampling  of  the  good  things  provided. 
But  perhaps  it  was  only  a  fit  of  absent-mindedness  that 
made  Mrs.  Preager  help  herself  to  the  almonds  and 
raisins  with  one  hand  while  untying  her  bonnet  with 
the  other.  Mrs.  Tannenbaum,  however,  showed  her- 
self possessed  of  superior  method. 

"  I  can  see  who  arranged  the  table  like  that, 
Becky,"  she   insinuated  delicately. 

Mrs.  Diamond  accepted  the  tribute  to  her  artistic 
instinct  with  becoming  silence,  while  Mrs.  Tannen- 
baum felt  herself  impelled,  by  the  intensity  of  her  ad- 
miration, to  take  stock  of  the  individual  beauties  of 
the  table  and  to  improve  her  favorable  impression  of 
sight  by  that  of  taste.  Thus  she  could,  in  all  decency, 
run  the  gamut  of  delicacies,  from  cheese-cakes  to 
Spanish  olives  and  back  again. 

"  Now  let  me  have  a  good  look  at  you  Becky,"  she 
continued.     "  I  didn't  have  a  chance  of  it  in  the  Svna- 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  227 

gogue  because — well,  I  don't  care  who  knows  it — 
because  I  simply  couldn't  take  my  eyes  off  your 
Lazarus." 

"  Did  you  hear  that,  Mr.  Tannenbaum?"  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Diamond,  skilfully  mingling  mock  indignation 
and  delight  in  her  voice. 

"  I  did,  but  it's  no  use  her  trying;  she  can't  make  me 
jealous,"  replied  Mr.  Tannenbaum  genially.  "  My 
best  respects,  Mrs.  Diamond." 

"  You'll  never  get  me  to  believe  you  only  paid  three 
and  six  a  yard  for  that  brocade,"  broke  in  Mrs. 
Preager  austerely. 

The  idea  of  Sadie  Tannenbaum,  with  her  fifty-five 
years  on  that  dumpy  back  of  hers,  carrying  on  a  flirta- 
tion with  her  husband  over  the  heads  of  self-respect- 
ing folks! 

"  May  I  spend  in  doctor's  bills  anything  it  cost  me 
more.  I  must  say,  though,  it  was  only  a  remnant," 
admitted  Mrs.  Diamond. 

"  And  the  cut  of  it,"  observed  Mrs.  Tannenbaum, 
cheerfully  ignorant  of  being  credited  with  a  dumpy 
back.  "  It  looks,  well,  it  looks  for  all  the  world  as  if 
it  had  been  photographed  on  to  you." 

Mrs.  Diamond  contemplated  with  great  compla- 
cence as  much  of  herself  as  her  eye  could  take  in. 

"  And  so  comfortable,  too,"  she  said.  "  Fancy 
wearing  a  dress  for  the  first  time  and  feeling  as  if  you 
had  never  worn  anything  else — you  understand  what 
I  mean."  Then  her  voice  fell  as  she  continued:  "  But 
joking  apart,  my  dears,  I  did  feel  proud  of  him  to-day. 
I  never  had  an  idea  he  was  really  such  a  fine  figure  of 
a  man." 

"  I  don't  know  how  it  was,"  said  Mrs.  Tannenbaum 


228  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

thoughtfully,  li  but  one  minute  he  reminded  me  of 
Tannenbaum  and  the  next  of  the  Prince  of  Wales/' 

"  You  don't  say  so,  Sadie,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Dia- 
mond, almost  aghast. 

Mrs.  Tannenbaum  affirmed  that  she  certainly  did 
say  so,  and  what  was  more,  she  meant  it.  Possibly 
she  did,  though  the  possibility  dwindled  to  a  mere 
shadow  in  the  light  of  certain  confidences  exchanged 
earlier  in  the  day  between  Mrs.  Preager  and  Mrs. 
Tannenbaum.  From  these  it  was  to  be  gathered  that 
Mr.  Diamond's  bearing  in  the  warden's  box  and  in  the 
procession  was  that  of  a  dyspeptic  coal-heaver,  while 
"  Becky's  "  dress  was  enough  to  throw  the  tailoring 
trade  of  all  England  into  disrepute. 

"  How  much  a  quart  did  you  pay  for  that  cherry- 
brandy,   Becky?'1    asked   Mrs.   Preager   innocently. 

"  Never  mind  as  long  as  it's  paid  for,"  replied  Mrs. 
Diamond,  taking  the  hint  and  rilling  three  glasses. 

"  At  your  house,  in  joy,"  said  Mrs.  Tannenbaum 
to  Mrs.  Preager,  to  which  Mrs.  Diamond  added: 
"  And  may  it  be  soon." 

Mrs.  Preager  sighed  and  sipped  at  her  glass,  sighed 
and  sipped  again.  Of  course,  she  understood  the  par- 
ticular drift  of  the  toast.  She  was  the  mother  of  six 
marriageable  daughters,  and  was  likely  to  remain  so. 

"  Don't  fret  so  much,  Julie,"  said  Mrs.  Tannen- 
baum consolingly;  "everybody  can't  have  the  luck, 
like  myself  and  Becky,  to  be  mother-in-laws  before 
we  got  over  our  surprise  at  being  mothers.  You 
know  how  scarce  young  men  are."  . 

"  Scarce?  "  asked  Mrs.  Preager  with  a  sneer.  "  The 
trouble  is  there's  too  many  of  'em.  That's  what 
makes  the  girls  pick  and  choose  nowadays.     When  we 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  229 

were  young,  we  weren't  half  so  hard  to  please,  were 
we,  Sadie?  " 

44  Speak  for  yourself,  if  you  don't  mind,"  replied 
Mrs.  Tannenbaum,  icilv. 

Mrs.  Diamond  saw  it  was  necessary  to  pour  oil  on 
the  troubled  waters  betimes.  "And. then,  some  girls 
are  much  too  fond  of  their  home  to  leave  it,"  she  said. 

"My  girls  certainly  have  as  good. a  home  as  they 
can  wish  for,"  said  Mrs.  Preager  with  dignity. 

"  Perhaps  you  mean  that  mine  hadn't,"  suggested 
Mrs.   Tannenbaum,  bridling. 

'  There,  mention  a  tail  and  the  devil  thinks  you 
are  speaking  of  his,"  quoted  Mrs.  Preager. 

"Will  you  have  something  else,  Sadie?"  asked  the 
hostess  to  change  the  subject. 

"  Yes,  Beckie — I'll  have  my  mantle  and  bonnet,  if 
you  please." 

"  Nonsense,  Sadie,"  ejaculated  Mrs.  Diamond. 

'  My  mantle  and  bonnet,  if  you  please,"  iterated 
Mrs.  Tannenbaum  very  loudly,  pitching  her  voice  in 
the  direction  of  her  husband.  "  Izzy,  we  are  going. 
Don't  forget  your  umbrella,  like  you  always  do." 

'  What's  the  matter,  my  darling? "  enquired  Mr. 
Tannenbaum,  rising  in  great  perturbation  and  coming 
over  to  the  ladies.  He  hoped  sincerely  his  ears  had 
deceived  him;  the  Diamonds  were  really  doing  the 
thing  handsomely — threepenny  cigars  and  all.  He 
had  made  up  his  mind  to  stop  till  he  had  smoked 
a  dozen  of  them,  and  here  he  was  only  half  way 
through  his  first.  Meantime  Mrs.  Tannenbaum  was 
explaining  to  him  what  the  matter  was;  simulta- 
neously Mrs.  Preager  did  the  same  to  Mr.  Preager, 
and  Mrs.  Diamond  to  Mr.  Diamond.     After  that  each 


230  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

of  the  six  turned  on  the  remaining  five  to  put  the  case 
from  a  strictly  unprejudiced  point  of  view;  and  as  no 
one  contradicted  the  other,  all  considered  themselves 
admittedly  in  the  right,  and  this  effectually  smoothed 
the  way  for  mediation.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  nobody, 
except  Mr.  Tannenbaum,  who  was  for  a  moment  de- 
moralized by  the  great  issues  at  stake,  had  felt  the 
slightest  apprehension  as  to  the  ultimate  outcome  of 
the  occurrence,  which  precedent  had  shorn  of  all 
significance.  The  only  one  genuinely  affected  was  the 
cherry-brandy;  for,  having  been  the  primary  cause  of 
the  collision,  it  was  only  right,  on  the  homoeopathic 
principle,  that  it  should  be  made  to  act  as  peace- 
maker. The  three  gentlemen  settled  back  to  their 
discussion,  which,  after  naturally  dwelling  for  some 
little  time  on  the  uncertainty  of  the  feminine  tempera- 
ment, reverted  at  length  to  its  staple  topic — communal 
politics. 

"  I'm  going  to  propose  at  the.  next  Committee 
Meeting  that  the  prayer  for  the  Royal  Family  should 
be  said  all  in  English,"  remarked  Mr.  Preager,  who 
was  notorious  for  the  heterodoxy  of  his  views. 

"  Why  not  propose  to  have  an  organ  in  the  Syna- 
gogue? That  would  make  more  noise,"  replied  Mr. 
Tannenbaum,  with   overt  sarcasm. 

"  Or  that  the  ladies  should  sit  downstairs  with  the 
men — then  there  would  be  still  more  noise,"  added 
Mr.  Diamond,  hazarding  a  deeper  thrust. 

:  You  may  sneer,"  said  Mr.  Preager,  not  the  least 
bit  disconcerted,  "but  I  know  what  I  am  talking 
about.  You  remember,  of  course,  we  had  a  police- 
man at  the  Synagogue  entrance  last  night  to  keep  the 
place  from  getting  too  crowded."  Messrs.  Diamond 
and  Tannenbaum  remembered. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  231 

"  Well,  later  on  in  the  evening,  I  was  standing  out- 
side my  door  when  he  passes  on  his  round.  *  How 
did  you  like  our  service,  officer? '  I  says  to  him. 
'Oh!  all  right,'  he  says,  'only  what  do  you  want  to 
drag  the  Queen  in  for,  and  call  her  names  in  that 
break-jaw  lingo  of  yours?'  Of  course,  I  explained 
to  him  that  we  were  praying  for  her  Majesty's 
long  life,  and  he  answers  it  didn't  sound  like  it  and 
walks  off,  winking  his  eye  and  saying  he  belonged  to 
the  police  and  not  the  marines."  Mr.  Preager  stopped 
in  order  to  let  his  words  filter  into  the  minds  of  his 
listeners,    who    were    evidently   impressed. 

'  Now,  why  should  we  lay  ourselves  open  to  a  risk 
like  that?  "  continued  Mr.  Preager,  striking  while  the 
iron  was  hot.  "  Instead  of  getting  the  credit  we  de- 
serve for  our  loyalty,  we  may  find  ourselves  one  fine 
day  had  up  for  high  treason." 

"  It  never  struck  me  the  thing  could  be  made  to 
look  so  serious,"  confessed  Mr.  Diamond,  genuinely 
concerned. 

"  Nor  me,"  echoed  Mr.  Tannenbaum. 

'  But  what  is  to  be  done?  "  went  on  Mr.  Diamond. 
"  You  know  the  trouble  we  had  to  teach  our  Reader 
to  say  the  few  words  in  English.  '  Our  gracious  Ma- 
jesty '  took  him  a  week;  '  Albert  Edward  '  a  fortnight; 
*  the  Princess  of  Wales  '  a  month ;  and  '  all  the  Royal 
Family  '  he  can't  say  to  this  day." 

Mr.  Preager  pretended  to  give  the  difficulty  his 
serious  consideration;  then  he  lifted  his  head  high, 
on  the  impulse  of  a  sudden  idea,  as  it  were. 

"But  why  should  he  recite  it  at  all?"  he  enquired. 
"  If  it  comes  to  that,  I  don't  mind  doing  it  myself." 

Mr.  Diamond  exchanged  a  quick  glance  with  Mr. 


2$2 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 


Tannenbaum.  There  it  was — the  cloven  hoof.  Mr. 
Preager  had  not  been  half  subtle  enough.  It  was 
known  that  his  pet  hobby  consisted  in  usurping  the 
functions  of  the  Reader  on  every  possible  occasion. 
Unfortunately  for  him,  this  happened  also  to  be  the 
pet  hobby  of  Mr.  Diamond  and  Mr.  Tannenbaum, 
as  well  as  of  every  member  of  the  congregation.  It 
arose  from  the  aboriginal  human  instinct  to  attain  to 
prominence;  and  the  elevation  of  the  Reader's  desk 
went  some  little  way  towards  it. 

"  In  any  case  I've  been  a  seatholder  longer  than 
you,  so  where  do  you  come  in?  "  asked  Mr.  Diamond. 

"  And  I  only  wish  to  remark  that  I'm  senior  to  both 
of  you,"  came  from  Mr.  Tannenbaum. 

"  Yes,  but  don't  you  think  I  deserve  something  for 
the  suggestion?"  submitted  Mr.  Preager  suavely. 
"  Now,  what  if  I  hadn't  found  out  from  the  police- 
man .  .  ." 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  you  didn't  dream  that  police- 
man?" broadly  hinted  Mr.  Tannenbaum. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Tannenbaum,"  remarked  Mr. 
Preager  stiffly,  but  coloring  up  to  his  ears. 

"  I  didn't  mean  anything  of  the  sort,"  apologized 
Tannenbaum  vaguely.  "  Only  you  know  your  mem- 
ory goes  wrong  sometimes.  How  do  I  know?  Well, 
one  week-day  at  the  beginning  of  this  year  I  came  into 
the  Synagogue,  and  found  you  were  reading  prayers, 
because,  you  said,  it  was  the  anniversary  of  your 
mother's  death.  Three  months  after,  you  were  read- 
ing prayers  again,  and  again  it  was  your  mother's 
anniversary.  I  wished  you  long  life  and  said  noth- 
ing. A  fortnight  ago  you  read  again,  and  for  the 
third  time  it  was  your  mother.     Now,  either  you  had 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  233 

three  mothers,  or  your  one  mother  died  three  separate 
times,  which  is  a  thing  that  doesn't  usually  happen. 
You  see,  all  I  want  to  show  is  that  you  can't  always 
trust  your  memory.  I  don't  mean  anything  else, 
God  forbid." 

"  Then  in  plain  English  you  call  me  a — a  confud- 
dler,"  said  Mr.  Preager  with  great  apparent  self-con- 
trol. 

"  There  you  go  again,"  replied  Mr.  Tannenbaum, 
quite  hurt.  4k  Now  just  to  show  that  I  don't  suspect 
you  in  the  least,  I'll  call  in  evidence.  I  say,  Mrs. 
Preager,  did  a  constable  talk  to  your  husband  last 
night  at  your  door?" 

"  Certainly  not,"  replied  Mrs.  Preager,  vehemently 

indignant    at    what     she     considered    an    aspersion. 

'  How  could  he  be  standing  at  the  door  when  he  was 

fast  asleep  on  the  dining-room  couch  all  the  even- 

ing?" 

Mr.  Tannenbaum  said  nothing,  but  turned  on  Mr. 
Preager  in   smiling  enquiry. 

The  latter,  however,  instead  of  collapsing,  returned 
Tannenbaum's  glance  frankly  and  unabashed. 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  I  only  dreamt  it,"  he  said,  knock- 
ing the  ash  off  his  cigar.  "  I  wouldn't  have  had  it  hap- 
pen for  all  the  money  in  the  world.  Julie,  we  must  get 
that  couch  upholstered.  It's  so  hard  and  skinny  that 
it  gave  me  the  nightmare  last  night.  I  tell  you,  Tan- 
nenbaum, it's  a  weight  off  my  mind  that  we  can  keep 
the  prayer  in  Hebrew." 

Mr.  Preager  remained  master  of  the  difficult  situa- 
tion he  had  created  for  himself  owing  to  the  arrival 
of  more  guests;  and  once  the  start  had  been  made, 
the  inflow  continued  steadily,  till  the  capacious  draw- 


234 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 


ing-room — Mrs.  Diamond  objected  to  having  it  called 
a  parlor — felt  it  could  do  with  a  little  bulging.  But, 
despite  the  fact,  Mrs.  Diamond  endeavored  to  keep 
a  tolerably  free  space  near  the  top  of  the  table;  in 
which  endeavor  she  was  loyally  assisted  by  Mrs. 
Preager  and  Mrs.  Tannenbaum,  who  were  only  glad 
of  an  opportunity  to  display  their  authority  as  second- 
in-command.  The  arrivals  which,  for  the  time  being, 
attracted  most  attention  were  Mrs.  Lipcott  and  Leuw. 
Mrs.  Tannenbaum  and  Mrs.  Preager  had  thought  it 
worth  quite  a  long  consultation  on  the  attitude  to  be 
adopted  towards  one  who,  though  originally  of  equal 
standing,  had  for  years  occupied  a  menial  and  subor- 
dinate position;  and  they  had  decided  on  a  bearing 
which  was  to  be  affable  and  courteous,  yet  containing 
a  dash  of  patronage  and  condescension.,  But  some- 
how the  sight  of  her  stalwart  and  self-possessed  son 
robbed  them  of  the  courage  of  acting  up  to  their  in- 
tention, and  the  effusive  greeting  which  Mrs.  Lipcott 
met  with  from  them  made  her  face  and  heart  glow 
with  the  comforting  assurance  of  having  come  into 
her  own  again. 

The  festival  proper  was  over  an  hour  ago.  Mrs. 
Diamond  calculated  that  Mrs.  Duveen  would  start  im- 
mediately on  its  termination,  which  ought  to  bring  her 
down  to  the  house — by  carriage  of  course — some- 
where about  seven.  It  was  already  half  past;  Mrs. 
Diamond  began  to  grow  fidgety.  Desperately  her 
hearing  reached  out  for  the  sound  of  carriage  wheels, 
till  the  constant  strain  brought  on  an  hallucination 
that  threatened  to  defeat  its  own  ends.  Everything 
seemed  to  merge  into  the  rumble  of  carnage  wheels 
— the  buzz  of  conversation,  the  clink  of  the  glasses, 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  235 

Mrs.  Tannenbaum's  screech-laugh — the  whole  world 
seemed  to  find  articulation  in  carriage  wheels;  the  re- 
served space  near  the  top  of  the  table  alone  kept  a 
considerate,  intelligent  silence.  It  was  impossible  for 
Mrs.  Diamond  to  get  to  the  windows  without  caus- 
ing a  widespread  disarrangement,  so  that  she  was 
deprived  even  of  the  luxury  of  a  reconnoitering  peep; 
and  though  she  flattered  herself  that  she  was  keeping 
her  pre-occupation  carefully  under  cover,  she  once 
distinctly  caught  Mrs.  Preager  and  Mrs.  Tannenbaum 
whispering  together  and  glancing  at  her  in  a  manner 
which  could  only  lend  itself  to  one  interpretation.  It 
was  this  which  induced  her  to  abandon  her  pro- 
ject of  stealing  down  to  the  street  door  and  to  de- 
spatch Mrs.  Saffron  instead  as  scout. 

Five  minutes  later  Mrs.  Saffron  thrust  her  head 
through  the  door  and  beckoned  violently.  Mrs.  Dia- 
mond flew  towards  her. 

They're    coming,,,    panted    Mrs.     Saffron     in     a 
whisper. 

"In  the  carriage ?"  panted  back  Mrs.  Diamond. 

"  No,  walking.  Here  they're  coming  up  the  stair- 
case, all  the  five  of  'em." 

Mrs.  Diamond  felt  that  a  great  hole  had  been  torn 
in  hef  triumph.  But  she  recovered  herself  quickly. 
The  next  best  thing  to  having  the  Duveens  with  their 
carriage  was  to  have  the  Duveens  without  it. 

"  Oh,  you  are  late,  Mrs.  Duveen,"  she  said,  loud 
enough  for  everyone  to  hear.  She  would  have  given 
a  week's  salary  could  she  have  said,  "  Rose,  dear," 
instead  of  "  Mrs.  Duveen."  But  she  made  up  for  it 
by  rapturously  kissing  Dulcie  and  Effte.  Effie,  how- 
ever, somewhat  spoilt  the  effect  by  unceremoniously 
drawing  her  handkerchief  across  her  mouth. 


2^6  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

The  entrance  of  the  Duveen  party  created  enough 
commotion  to  satisfy  even  Mrs.  Diamond.  Only  a 
chosen  few  were  vouchsafed  an  introduction  to  "  my 
dear  friend,  Mrs.  Duveen,"  and  Mrs.  Tannenbaum  de- 
bated whether  there  was  reasonable  room  for  offense 
at  Mrs.  Preager's  name  being  mentioned  before  her 
own. 

Mrs.  Duveen  did  not  feel  at  all  comfortable  under 
the  very  pronounced  scrutiny  that  assailed  her  from 
every  side,  and  acknowledged  her  new  acquaintances 
with  a  perfunctory  politeness,  which  was  at  once  char- 
acterized as  stuck-uppishness.  Uncle  Bram's  bluff, 
rollicking  manner  made  a  much  more  favorable  im- 
pression. 

Mrs.  Diamond's  eyes  traveled  about  anxiously  to 
collect  facial  evidence  of  opinion.  Mrs.  Tannenbaum 
sent  her  a  wink,  which  was  meant  to  convey  to  Mrs. 
Diamond  congratulations  on  her  taste  in  the  selection 
of  her  friends. 

"  Not  much  for  that  lot,"  said  Mrs.  Tannenbaum 
simultaneously  to  Mrs.  Preager.  "  Just  look  at  her 
dress.  I  wouldn't  be  seen  cleaning  mv  doorstep  in 
it." 

"  And  not  a  shilling's  worth  of  jewelry  anywhere," 
commented  Mrs.  Preager  in  turn. 

"  They  came  down  by  'bus,  Julie,"  was  Mrs.  Tan- 
nenbaum's  solemn  apostrophe.  "  I  don't  believe  in 
that  carriage.  I  always  had  my  suspicions  about  it. 
You  know  what  Becky  is." 

Mrs.  Preager  nodded  her  assent,  for  one  could  not 
be  discreet  enough  in  a  matter  so  highly  treasonable. 
But  Mrs.  Diamond  would  not  have  been  the  least  bit 
offended   had   she   overheard   them;  it   would   rather 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  237 

have  added  to  her  satisfaction,  knowing  how  triumph- 
antly she  would  be  able  to  give  the  lie  to  their  calum- 
nies later  on.  For  Mrs.  Duveen  had  just  whispered 
to  her  certain  information  which  redeemed  the  great 
disappointment  of  the  evening  utterly.  She  at  once 
went  off  to  give  Mrs.  Saffron  the  necessary  instruc- 
tions. 

Phil  was  pleasurably  surprised  at  finding  himself  in 
the  company  of  Leuw  and  his  mother.  At  Mrs.  Du- 
veen's  special  request  room  was  made  next  to  her 
for  Mrs.  Lipcott.  The  two  women  had  met  occa- 
sionally, for  Mrs.  Duveen  had  made  a  point  of  calling 
on  Phil's  mother  whenever  time  allowed  it,  during 
her  errands  of  charity  to  the  East  End.  On  none  of 
these  occasions,  however,  had  she  met  Leuw,  and 
therefore  she  did  not  recognize  him  now  until  Phil 
came  up  with  him. 

'  You  have  been  treating  us  very  badly,"  she  said 
smilingly.  That  was  as  far  as  she  got,  for  here  Mrs. 
Diamond  returned  and  monopolized  her. 

"  It's  very  hot,  but  it's  awfully  jolly,  don't  you  think 
so?  '  said  Effie  to  Dulcie,  who  had  preferred  keep- 
ing outside  the  enclosure.  "  I've  never  seen  such  a 
lot  of  queer  people  together  in  my  life.  I'll  laugh  out- 
right if  that  woman  keeps  on  wobbling  her  feather- 
crest." 

"  Don't  make  fun  of  them,"  reproved  Dulcie. 

"Why  not?  They  won't  mind,  because  they  won't 
know." 

'  It  isn't  right,  though.  We  are  all  Jews  and  Jew- 
esses here,  you  and  I  and  everyone  of  us." 

"  Well,  that's  exactly  why  I  am  inclined  to  see  the 
joke  of  it.  If  there  were  any  Christians  here,  do  you 
know  what  I  would  do?" 


238  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"Well,  what?" 

"  I  should  put  on  my  solemnest  face,  and  make 
them  believe  that  no  respectable  woman  ought  to  go 
to  a  party  without  feathers  in  her  hair." 

"  And  keep  on  wobbling  them,"  added  Dulcie. 

"  Just  so,"  laughed  Effie.  "  Still,  on  second  con- 
sideration, some  of  us  look  quite  nice.  See  that  neat, 
quiet-faced  woman  next  to  Auntie?" 

"  I  think  that  must  be  Phil's  mother,"  said  Dulcie. 
"  I  can't  be  sure,  because  I  haven't  seen  her  since  the 
time  we  fetched  Phil  away;  and  I  suspect  she  didn't 
look  her  ordinary  self  that  day." 

"  I  dare  say  she  didn't,"  agreed  Effie.  "  By  the 
way,  who  is  that  Phil  is  talking  to?  " 

"  His  brother,"  came  Dulcie's  rather  abrupt  reply 
Then  she  turned  suddenly,  afraid  lest  Effie  should  ask 
her  how  she  knew. 

"  Oh,  that's  Leuw,  is  it?  I  like  him,"  was  Effie's 
prompt  criticism. 

"Do  you?"  asked  Dulcie  indifferently. 

"  And  I  beg  his  pardon,"  continued  Effie. 

Dulcie  looked  astonished.  "  What  for? "  she 
asked.  "  You  couldn't  possibly  ever  have  offended 
him." 

"  Yes,  I  did,  without  his  knowing  it.  Don't  you 
remember  I  said  he  would  look  like  a  cobbler's  boy?  ' 

"Don't  you  think  he  does?" 

"Dulcie,  haven't  you  got  eyes?  No  cobbler's  boy 
could  disguise  himself  so  well  to  look  like  a  gentle- 
man. If  Phil  doesn't  bring  him  over  soon,  I'll  go  up 
and  introduce  myself — look,  Dulcie,  here  they  come." 

But  Dulcie  did  not  look;  her  eyes  sought  a  different 
direction;   she   hardly  knew  why,   or  if  she  did,  she 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  239 

would  not  admit  it  to  herself.  It  had  been  a  great  sur- 
prise to  her  that  she  was  able  to  recognize  "  the  boy 
who  shouted ':  after  so  many  years,  almost  at  first 
glance.  She  had  done  so,  not  from  the  likeness  to 
Phil,  which  could  be  faintly  traced,  but  because  of 
the  honest  look  in  his  eyes  which  had  from  the  very 
first  given  her  the  strong  desire  to  make  friends  with 
him;  she  would  have  known  hfm  by  it  had  the  in- 
terval been  three  times  as  long.  No,  he  certainly  did 
not  look  as  if  he  had  stayed  away  so  obstinately  for 
fear  of  disgracing  Phil;  his  appearance  suggested 
nothing  obviously  discreditable.  So  he  had  kept  aloof 
out  of  sheer  indifference.  Dulcie  remembered  having 
prayed  that  it  should  rather  be  this  latter  than  any 
other  reason.  And  now  that  she  knew  her  prayer  had 
been  fulfilled — well,  it  made  her  glance  the  other  way 
as  she  saw  him  approach. 

And  the  next  moment  she  heard  him  saying  to  her: 
"  You  don't  remember  me,  do  you?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  do,"  said  Dulcie  readily.  She  would 
not  pay  him  the  compliment  of  troubling  to  fence 
with  her  answer. 

'It's  a  long  time  since  we- met,"  continued  Leuw 
lamely. 

'"Is  it?" 

'  So  long  that  it  almost  seems  as  if  we  hadn't  met 
at  all." 

"  Really,  I  haven't  thought  about  it,"  said  Dulcie. 
But  she  had  the  grace  to  blush  at  her  untruth. 

"  I  never  fancied  that  you  had." 

The  words  no  doubt  were  meant  to  sound  neutral, 
but  Dulcie's  quick  ear  detected  a  ring  of  provocation, 
and  Leuw's  mien  bore  out  her  suspicion  of  it.  It 
made  her  feel  strangely  pleased  and  conciliatory. 


240  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  But  I  might  have  thought  about  it,  if  I  had  had 
an  idea  we  were  going  to  meet  again/'  she  said 
frankly. 

Leuw's  face  cleared.  "  You  see,  accidents  will 
happen,"  he  jested. 

"  And  it  seems  you  were  quite  satisfied  to  leave  it 
to  accident/'  Dulcie  was  about  to  say  when  she  was 
cut  short  by  Phil,  who  came  up  and  introduced  Effie. 
Leuw  looked  at  her  with  much  interest.  Effie  was  well- 
known  to  him  from  Phil's  numerous  references  to  her 
doings  and  misdoings;  and  as  he  scanned  her  laugh- 
ing eyes  and  mischievous  mouth,  he  wondered  he  had 
not  heard  more  of  the  misdoings.  His  scrutiny,  too, 
gave  him  an  opportunity  of  judging  whether  laugh- 
ing eyes  and  mischievous  mouths  were  superior  to 
eyes  earnest  and  sober,  with  perhaps  a  dash  of  sadness 
in  them,  and  lips  that  puckered  a  little  primly;  and  he 
had  no  difficulty  in  deciding  that  the  superiority  lay 
with  the  latter. 

Meantime,  as  might  be  expected,  the  mischievous 
mouth  was  having  most  of  the  say,  speeding  quip  and 
sally  and  contributing  much  to  the  enjoyment  of  the 
hour.  Leuw  greatly  surprised  and  delighted  Phil  by 
the  ease  wherewith  he  stood  that  severest  test  of  a 
man's  self-possession — the  showing  himself  at  home 
in  the  company  of  strange  women,  of  whatever  growth. 
It  gave  him  some  idea  how  hard  Leuw  must  have 
butted  against  the  world  to  have  had  his  corners 
knocked  off  so  completely.  The  fear  that  it  might 
be  otherwise  had  given  Phil  many  a  moment  of  ap- 
prehension. He  had  often  anticipated  the  time  when 
he  and  Leuw  would  meet  on  the  same  platform  of  life, 
and  he  writhed  at  the  thought  that  he  would  put  his 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  241 

elder  brother  to  the  blush  by  his  superiority  of 
11  form."  That  danger  was  happily  done  with.  As 
to  the  petty  social  politenesses,  Phil  had  himself  played 
tutor  to  Leuw,  and  Leuw  had  acquired  them  with 
an  aptitude  only  natural  in  a  man  whose  brains  had 
enabled  him  at  nineteen  to  furnish  a  house  on  his  own 
earnings. 

"  May  I  get  you  anything,  sir?  "  said  a  voice  at 
Phil's  ear,  startling  him  out  of  his  reflections. 

44  What,  is  that  you,  Yel — I  mean  Joe?  " 
Yes,  sir,"  said  Yellow  Joe.     "  I'm  here  on  the  odd 
job,  helpin'  to  wait,  sir." 

"  Don't  you  know  who  I  am?  " 

'  I  know  who  you  used  to  be,  sir,"  replied  Yellow 
Joe. 

"Then  what  on  earth,  man,  are  you  '  sirring  '  me 
for?  Tip  us  your  hand,  old  pard,"  said  Phil,  pur- 
posely breaking  into  the  language  of  old  times. 

Yellow  Joe  did  so  eagerly.  '4 1  didn't  know  but 
what  you  wouldn't  be  puttin'  on  '  gyver '  to  a  poor 
bloke  like  me,"  he  said  wistfully. 

'  What,  after  we   played   buttons   together,   Joe? H 
exclaimed   Phil,   almost  indignant. 

'  Say  Yellow  Joe,  and  then  I'll  know  you  ain't 
kiddin'." 

Smilingly  Phil  complied.  "  I'm  awfully  sorry  your 
father's  paralyzed  arm  isn't  getting  better." 

*  How  do  you  know?"  asked  Yellow  Joe,  aston- 
ished. 

'  Leuw  told  me.  Do  you  think  I've  never  enquired 
after  you?  " 

"  Wish  he  had  told  me." 

"Why?" 
16 


242 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


"  I'd  have  been  glad  to  know  you  hadn't  forgotten 
me.  I  thought  of  you  many  a  time;  wondered  what 
was  becomin'  of  you."  He  paused  and,  as  it  were, 
took  stock  of  Phil.  "  No,  Phil,  I  ain't  jealous  of  you. 
You  deserved  your  luck;  you  always  was  a  good 
sort." 

"  Married  yet — engaged?  "  asked  Phil,  to  give  the 
talk  a  lighter  turn. 

Yellow  Joe  looked  scornful.  "  Catch  me  wastin' 
my  time  on  that  kind  of  tommy  rot.  Tell  you,  got 
my  hands  full  to  keep  the  show  goin'  at  home,  with 
eight  of  'em,  one  smaller  than  the  other  and  father 
incurable.  But  if  you  think  I'm  sniveling,  you're  jolly 
well  mistaken,  because  I  ain't." 

"  I  didn't  think  you  were — I  wouldn't  insult  you  like 
that,"  said  Phil  soberly.  "  If  I  did  what  you  are  do- 
ing, I'd  simply  reek  of  conceit." 

"  Keep  up  your  penmanship  and  figures,  Joe," 
quietly  interjected  Leuw,  who  had  overheard  the  tail 
end  of  the  conversation. 

"  I'm  keepin'  'em  up,"  said  Yellow  Joe  quite 
fiercely,  and  then  calming  down,  he  turned  appeal- 
ingly  to  Phil.  "  He's  driving  me  crazy  with  it.  Every 
time  he  meets  me  it's  '  Joe,  keep  up  your  penmanship 
and  figures.'  And  when  I  ask  him  what  for,  he  says, 
'I'll  tell  you  next  time.'     Leuw,  when's  next  time?' 

"  Not  this  time,"  laughed  Leuw. 

Just  then  Yellow  Joe  caught  the  hostess'  watchful 
look,  and  dived  away  without  another  word.  Phil 
gazed  after  him  thoughtfully.  His  talk  with  Yellow 
Joe  had  enabled  him  to  realize  a  vague,  impalpable 
sense  of  satisfaction  which  had  tantalized  him  by  its 
elusiveness;  he  had  now  fully  grasped  it,  its  essence, 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  243 

its  origin.  For  the  first  time  to-night,  for  many 
years,  he  was  rubbing  shoulders  with  the  associations 
of  his  youth.  He  had  lived  in  a  world  so  alien  to 
them  that  he  might  well  have  felt  afraid  that  the 
re-approachment  would  partake  more  of  the  nature  of 
a  collision;  but  it  had  gone  off  without  a  shock,  with- 
out a  single  vibration  of  repugnance.  Of  course,  he 
loved  his  people;  but  perhaps  he  only  loved  them  as 
an  abstract,  elemental  thing  of  which  he  formed  a 
materialized  particle,  so  that  his  love  was  sheer 
egoism.  Here,  however,  he  was  dealing  with  them, 
not  as  a  cold,  far-off  generality,  but  as  warm,  palpitat- 
ing atoms  of  life,  thrusting  themselves  bodily  upon  his 
physical  and  mental  ken;  and  he  knew  it  needed  no 
undue  strain  on  his  part  to  bring  himself  to  make 
apology  for  their  foibles,  to  extenuate  their  weak- 
nesses, to  shed  tears  of  joy  at  their  most  commonplace 
virtues.  And,  moreover,  he  remembered  that  he  was 
putting  his  affections  to  their  most  crucial  test.  The 
people  around  him  to-night  were,  mostly,  if  not  all,  the 
representatives  of  a  smug  parochial  prosperity;  they 
were  not  the  lowly  and  destitute,  whose  faces  were 
in  themselves  letters  of  credit,  traced  in  lines  of  care, 
on  the  fund  of  fraternal  sympathy.  Oh!  these  lowly 
and  destitute  ones!  His  compassion  for  them 
swelled  into  a  very  paroxysm.  If  only  he  were  al- 
ready a  man;  if  only  he  had  already  at  least  one  foot 
in  the  stirrup  of  his  career,  how  he  would  come  among 
them,  stepping,  as  it  were,  out  of  the  darkness,  which 
they  thought  could  beget  nothing  but  more  misery, 
on  his  lips  a  loud-voiced  evangel,  in  his  right  hand 
the  flag  of  salvation.  Tfiis  was  his  dream,  one  of  his 
dreams.     He  did  not  know — or  it  would  have  glad- 


244 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


dencd  him  unspeakably — that  his  brother  Leuw  had 
forestalled  him  in  the  conception  of  it  years  and  years 
ago. 

11  Look  at  Dinah  Lipcott's  second,"  said  Mrs. 
Preager,  nudging  Mrs.  Tannenbaum.  "  I'm  sure  he's 
got  something  the  matter  with  him — see  his  mouth 
twitch  just  then?  " 

"  I  don't  care  what's  the  matter  with  him,  I  know 
what's  the  matter  with  me,"  replied  Mrs.  Tannen- 
baum wrathfully.  "  Did  you  ever  see  such  arrange- 
ments? Half-past  nine  and  not  a  smell  of  supper. 
I'll  faint  in  a  minute." 

"  Strikes  me,  after  all  the  fuss  it'll  be  only  sand- 
wiches," said  Mrs.  Preager  gloomily. 

"  Then,  what  did  she  want  to  bother  me  with  lend- 
ing her  my  knives  and  forks?  "  snapped  Mrs.  Tannen- 
baum. 

"  To  kid  us  into  fancying  something,  I  suppose." 

"  Still,  the  breakfast-room's  locked,"  went  on  Mrs. 
Tannenbaum:  "  I  tried  the  handle  before  coming  in 
here." 

Mrs.  Tannenbaum's  optimism  was  brilliantly  vin- 
dicated, for  just  then  Mrs.  Diamond,  acting  on  a  sig- 
nal from  Mrs.  Saffron,  which  she  in  turn  passed  on 
to  Mr.  Diamond,  arose  and  shrilled  through  the  babel: 

"  Ladies,  please  take  your  gentlemen  in  to  supper." 

This  inversion  of  the  formula  must  not  be  taken  as 
internal  evidence  that  Mrs.  Diamond  was  a  champion 
of  woman's  rights.  In  reality,  it  was  due  to  nothing 
save  her  rather  flurried  condition.  But  possibly  her 
confusion  was  construed  into  an  anxiety  as  to  the 
seating  capacity  of  the  breakfast-room,  which  was 
known  to  be  limited;  this  alone  could  account  for  the 


A  TALE   OF  LONDON  JEWRY  245 

fact  that  the  transit  thither  could  hardly  be  said  to 
accord  with  the  dignity  of  the  occasion.  In  real 
truth  it  was  a  scramble,  almost  a  scuffle.  Mrs.  Tan- 
nenbaum  got  her  bead  trimmings  entangled  on  some- 
body's waistcoat  buttons,  and  elbowed  herself  and  Mr. 
Tannenbaum  into  place,  deluging  everybody  near 
with  showers  of  jet.  The  lady  of  the  feathers  could 
never  find  out  exactly  what  had  become  of  them; 
true,  she  fancied  that  she  saw  a  bit  of  them  floating  in 
her  left-hand  neighbor's  soup,  but  even  that  did  not 
conclusively  prove  to  her  that  they  had  become  ab- 
sorbed into  the  bill  of  fare. 

The  Duveens — unlike  Mrs.  Lipcott  and  Leuw, 
who  were  more  prepared  for  it — at  first  watched  the 
rush  with  the  consternation  due  to  a  panic,  and  after- 
wards, when  they  divined  the  true  nature  of  it,  with 
an  amusement  which  they  tried  in  vain  to  conceal  from 
Mrs.  Diamond's  agonized  eye.  Owing  chiefly  to 
Leuw's  forethought,  they  had  kept  out  of  the  stam- 
pede, and  now  Mrs.  Diamond,  having  reduced  the 
chaos  beyond  to  a  semblance  of  order,  came  back  and 
with  apologetic  references  to  "  those  sort  of  people, 
you  understand  what  I  mean,"  entreated  them  to  take 
seats  "  strictly  reserved,  mind  you,"  at  the  supper  table. 
Mrs.  Duveen  and  the  rest  of  them  struggled  hard  to 
resist,  but  under  Mrs.  Diamond's  indomitable  impor- 
tunateness,  re-inforced  by  the  thought  of  the  coming 
speech,  a  mule  might  have  succumbed  without  putting 
the  prestige  of  its  species  under  a  cloud. 

Despite  the  bad  beginning,  the  banquet  itself  was 
pronounced  a  success,  with  Mrs.  Tannenbaum  head- 
ing the  chorus  of  praise.  No  one  took  exception  at 
having  periodically  to  wait  for  somebody  else's  knife, 


246  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

and  the  scarcity  of  crockery  was  hailed  by  several  mar- 
ried couples  as  a  lucky  opportunity  for  demonstrating 
to  the  world  the  good  understanding  between  them 
by  eating  from  off  the  same  plate. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Diamond  did  not  eat  from  the  same 
plate  nor  from  separate  plates;  neither  of  them  ate  at 
all.  Mr.  Diamond  felt  the  speech  sticking  in  his 
throat,  from  which  he  augured  uneasily  that  it  was 
not  located  where  it  ought  to  be — in  his  head.  Mrs. 
Diamond  was  busy  rehearsing  to  herself,  so  as  to  be 
ready  to  prompt  her  husband,  should  emergency  arise. 
It  was  apparently  a  spontaneously  happy  idea  into 
which,  however,  he  had  been  carefully  drilled  by  Mrs. 
Diamond,  that  made  Mr.  Preager  approach  Uncle 
Bram — Mr.  Alexander,  as  he  ought  to  be  more  fit- 
tingly styled  under  the  circumstances — to  propose  the 
toast  of  the  host  and  hostess.  Uncle  Bram  cheerfully 
complied,  and  in  a  few  well-chosen  words  expressed 
the  pleasure  it  gave  him  and  his  sister  to  be  present  on 
the  enjoyable  occasion.  As  an  honorary  officer  of  the 
Synagogue  Union  he  congratulated  Mr.  Diamond  on 
the  public  spirit  he  had  shown  in  accepting  an  office 
which,  although  at  some  little  expense,  served  to  per- 
petuate the  traditions  of  their  race;  and  in  conclusion 
he  wished  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Diamond,  as  well  as  all  the 
other  members  of  their  congregation,  every  success  in 
this  world  and  the  next. 

The  applause  that  followed  his  remarks  subsided  to 
an  expectant  hush,  but  broke  out  again  with  renewed 
vigor  as  Mr.  Diamond  staggered  to  his  feet.  Mrs. 
Tannenbaum  afterwards  declared  that  she  positively 
saw  his  beads  of  perspiration  dripping  on  to  the  table- 
cloth,  but   Mrs.    Preager    maintained   that   they   lost 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  247 

themselves  somewhere  in  the  region  of  his  collar.  Just 
before  beginning,  Mr.  Diamond  was  seen  to  give  a 
jerk,  but  only  those  in  the  immediate  neighborhood 
could  conjecture  that  the  true  cause  of  it  was  a  whis- 
pered:   "  Now,  then,  Diamond,"  from  his  wife. 

"  Ladies  and  Gentlemen/'  said  Mr.  Diamond.  "  It 
affords  me  and  Mrs.  Diamond  very  great  pleasure  to 
see  you  assembled  round  this  hospitable  table.  We 
are  always  pleased  to  do  what  we  can  for  our  friends, 
in  our  humble  way,  that  is,  and  we  hope  that  none  of 
you  have  anything  to  complain  of  in  the  way  you 
have  been  treated  here  this  evening.  We  don't  like 
to  boast,  but  I  dare  say  you  have  already  observed  for 
yourselves  that  we  are  doing  the  thing  in  first-rate 
style,  as,  thank  God,  we  can  well  afford  to.  Specially, 
we  want  to  thank  our  very  dear  friends,  Mrs.  Duveen 
and  Mr.  Alexander,  for  honoring  us  with  their  pres- 
ence, which,  I  feel  sure,  is  a  thing  they  would  not  do 
for  everybody.  Now,  for  what  concerns  myself,  I 
have  always  tried  my  best  to  be  a  credit  to  the  com- 
munity, and,  thank  God  for  all  mercies,  I  may  say 
without  blushing  that  my  name  stands  better  in  the 
loan  offices  than  many  a  man  with  three  times  my  in- 
come; from  which  you  can  guess  that  I've  had  my 
fair  share  of  helping  a  friend  or  two  out  of  a  tight 
hole;  and  talking  of  being  kind-hearted  and  helpful 
reminds  me  of  somebody  else  who's  just  made  up  of 
that  sort  of  thing;  and  that's  my  wife,  God  bless  her. 
That's  all  she  thinks  of  from  morning  to  night,  in- 
cluding meals.  I'd  just  like  to  know  if  there's  another 
woman  within  an  hour's  walk  from  here  that  sub- 
scribes out  of  her  own  housekeeping  money  to  three 
bread-meat-and-coal  societies,  besides  being  president 


248  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

of  the  Inlying  Charity  of  the  Women  of  Bialostock 
and  a  member  of  the  committee  of  the  Free  Dispen- 
sary, not  to  mention  her  making  door-to-door  collec- 
tions any  time  she  hears  of  a  specially  distressful  case." 
The  speech  then  went  on  to  insist,  at  some  length,  on 
the  disinterestedness  and  honesty  of  purpose  which 
actuated  Mrs.  Diamond  in  her  charity  work,  the  de- 
tails of  which  her  retiring  disposition  and  distaste  for 
praise  made  her  keep  a  strict  secret  even  from  Lady 
Simmondson,  "  whom,  in  a  manner  of  speaking,  she 
might  also  call  her  bosom  friend  after  Mrs.  Duveen." 
The  remaining  sentences  discoursed  of  Mrs.  Diamond 
in  a  strain  which,  even  though  pitched  in  a  much 
lower  key,  would  have  made  her  appear  to  the  uniniti- 
ated listener  certainly  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
women  of  her  times. 

To  avoid  misunderstanding,  let  it  be  clearly  stated 
that  this  was  the  speech  which  Mr.  Diamond  ought  to 
have  delivered,  but  did  not.  No  sooner  had  he  got 
beyond  the  introductory  "  Ladies  and  Gentlemen," 
when  he  became  aware  that  had  his  life  depended  on 
his  remembering  a  single  connected  sentence  of  the 
carefully  composed,  carefully  rehearsed  address,  he 
would  die  a  most  sudden  death.  He  felt  like  a  man 
who  is  walking  the  plank,  and  has  just  come  to  the  end 
of  it.  And  meantime  Becky  was  inspiring  him  to  elo- 
quence by  encouragingly  treading  on  his  corns.  Mr. 
Diamond,  however,  saved  the  situation  by  a  presence 
of  mind  which  approached  the  miraculous.  In  a  mo- 
ment his  hand  was  tugging  frantically  at  collar  and 
necktie,  the  whites  of  his  eyes  turned  up,  and  present- 
ly, after  a  preliminary  oscillation  or  two,  he  collapsed 
heavily  into  his  chair. 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  249 

"  Water,  water,"  shrieked  Mrs.  Diamond,  thor- 
oughly taken  in  by  the  ruse,  and  for  once  in  a  way 
genuinely  alarmed  about  her  husband. 

Mr.  Diamond  took  good  care  not  to  come  round  too 
hurriedly,  and  while  Mrs.  Diamond  was  chafing  his 
temples  with  eau-de-cologne  from  Mrs.  Duveen's 
scent-bottle,  he  listened  complacently  to  the  sympa- 
thetic remarks  evoked  by  his  indisposition,  which 
everybody  ascribed  to  an  emotion  at  once  natural  and 
becoming.  It  was  only  when  Uncle  Bram  urged  that 
a  doctor  should  be  sent  for  that  Mr.  Diamond  pre- 
tended to  revive.  As  for  a  speech,  who  would  ex- 
pect such  a  thing  from  a  man  obviously  returning  from 
the  verge  of  his  grave?  Mrs.  Diamond,  too,  was  not 
displeased.  True,  the  speech  was  a  pity,  but  Mrs. 
Duveen's  attentions  had  been  most  flattering,  and  en- 
quiries, whether  personal  or  by  letter,  after  Mr.  Dia- 
mond's health,  could  no  doubt  be  turned  into  a  peg  for 
closer  relations. 

On  their  return  to  the  drawing-room,  Mrs.  Du- 
veen, with  Dulcie  on  her  arm,  chanced  for  an  instant 
against  Leuw. 

"  You  know  Phil  is  leaving  for  Cambridge  the  day 
after  to-morrow,"  Mrs.  Duveen  said  to  him,  "  and  it's 
only  right  we  should  give  him  a  send-off — quite  pri- 
vate, I  mean.  Will  you  come  up  to-morrow  night? 
I  asked  your  mother,  and  she  said  she  would  leave  it 
to  you." 

Leuw  did  not  reply  immediately.  Involuntarily,  his 
glance  fell  on  Dulcie's  face;  her  eyes  were  already 
resting  on  his,  silently  but  unmistakably  seconding 
the  invitation. 

"  Thank  you,  Mrs.  Duveen — I  shall  be  very  glad  to 


250 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 


come,"  he  said;  but  somebody  else  seemed  to  be  re- 
plying instead  of  him. 

Uncle  Bram  was  looking  solicitously  at  his  watch. 
"  I  hope  he'll  find  his  way  here,"  he  said  to  Mrs. 
Duveen. 

Mrs.  Diamond  overheard  the  remark,  and  at  once 
hurried  off  to  renew  her  instructions  to  Mrs.  Saffron. 
At  the  same  time  she  started  a  series  of  vigorous 
"  ahems,"  as  though  to  get  rid  of  any  possible  ob- 
struction in  her  larynx. 

The  substantial  supper  had  done  its  work,  and  every- 
body was  in  excellent  humor.  Messrs.  Preager  and 
Tannenbaum  cast  coveting  glances  at  the  card-table, 
which  stood  ignominiously  thrust  away  into  a  corner, 
but  out  of  deference  to  the  distinguished  guests  they 
gloved  their  itching  fingers  with  patience. 

"  I  don't  suppose  they'll  stay  much  longer,"  they 
consoled  each  other. 

But  it  was  close  on  midnight  before  Mrs.  Diamond, 
who  had  kept  up  incessant  watch,*  saw  Mrs.  Saffron 
poke  her  head  through  the  door  and  nod  three  times 
significantly.  Mrs.  Diamond  gave  another  and  final 
"  ahem  "  that  might  have  passed  as  an  "  attention  "  on 
any  parade  ground,  ere  she  came  out  with : 

"  Mrs.  Duveen,  your  carriage  is  waiting  for  you 
downstairs." 

The  effect  was  electric.  In  the  rush  to  the  windows 
half  a  dozen  chairs  were  overturned,  and  Mrs.  Tan- 
nenbaum nearly  pushed  out  one  of  the  panes  with  her 
nose  in  her  eagerness  to  get  a  better  view.  Yes,  there 
it  was  right  enough.  The  carriage  and  pair  with  the 
livened  coachman  on  the  box  seat. 

The  commotion  did  more  than  the  lateness  of  the 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  251 

hour  in  making  the  Duveen  party  whittle  its  farewells 
down  to  the  narrowest  margin  of  politeness.  Mrs. 
Diamond's  eyes,  as  she  stood  waiting  at  the  door  to 
pilot  them  down,  nearly  set  the  room  on  fire  with  their 
blaze  of  triumph. 

"  To-morrow  night,  then,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen,  press- 
ing Leuw's  hand.  And  again  Dulcie  looked  corrobo- 
ration. 

"  You  will  come  again  soon,  won't  you?  "  Mrs.  Dia- 
mond was  heard  to  shriek  from  the  street.  "  And  re- 
member me  kindly  to  your  cousin,  Lady  Simmond- 
son." 

The  carriage  rolled  off,  and  Mrs.  Diamond  remained 
watching  it  to  the  bend  of  the  street.  As  she  made 
her  way  up  the  staircase,  the  steps  of  which  had  be- 
come metamorphosed  into  india-rubber,  the  rapid  beat 
of  her  heart  was  the  thump  of  the  hammer  nailing 
together  the  bridge  which  would  eventually  span  the 
gulf  between  herself  and  the  aristocracy  of  England. 

Mrs.  Tannenbaum  and  Mrs.  Preager,  meantime, 
while  awaiting  her  return  upstairs,  were  relieving  an 
impotent  jealousy  by  an  exchange  of  comments, 
heavily  saturated  with  a  flavor  of  sour  grapes. 

Yes,  he's  very  nice — is  Leuw,"  summed  up  Effie, 
blowing  out  the  night-light,  "  but  he  doesn't  talk — 
I  couldn't  get  a  word  out  of  him." 

'Couldn't  you?"  yawned  Dulcie,  nestling  more 
cosily  into  her  pillow.  No  doubt  it  was  wrong — awfully 
wrong.  But  for  all  that  she  was  very  glad  that  Effie 
had  not  been  able  to  get  a  word  out  of  Leuw.  She 
herself  had  got  several,  quite  a  dozen  or  more. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

The  next  day  distinguished  itself  for  Leuw  by  a  cer- 
tain "  dragginess  "  that  was  peculiarly  its  own.  Every- 
thing had  an  element  of  length.  The  way  up  to  the 
stock-room  was  twice  as  long  as  usual,  the  change 
took  longer  in  counting  out,  people  spoke  with  irri- 
tating slowness.  He  asked  old  Christopher  if  he  no- 
ticed it  as  well. 

"  Can't  say  I  do,"  replied  Christopher,  from  the 
birthday  arm-chair,  where  he  had  now  taken  to  spend- 
ing most  of  his  time;  "  but  when  you've  been  out  late 
on  the  spree,  it's  no  wonder  things  feel  a  bit  leaden 
next   morning." 

"  I  dare  say  you  are  right,"  said  Leuw.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  fact,  he  had  neither  exerted  himself  very  vio- 
lently to  extract  enjoyment  from  the  Diamond  fes- 
tivity, nor  had  he  left  late — scarcely  two  minutes  after 
the  Duveens;  but  he  accepted  Christopher's  explana- 
tion, thinking  it  as  good  as  any  he  cared  to  formulate 
for  himself. 

"Suppose  you  let  me  help  you  a  bit;  perhaps 
things'll  go  quicker  then,"  suggested  Christopher. 

"  I'll  do  nothing  of  the  sort,"  was  Leuw's  severe 
reply;  "  you  work  as  hard  as  you  can  at  taking  it 
easy." 

"  You  never  will  let  me  put  a  hand  to  anything 
now,"  grumbled  old  Christopher,  but  only  very  softly. 

"  You've  got  to  consider  yourself  invalided.  You 
know  yourself  invalids  aren't  permitted  at  the  front. 
So  hurry  up  and  get  strong  again." 


A  TALE   OF  LONDON  JEWRY  253 

"  I'm  hurryiir  as  fast  as  I  can,  Leuw,  boy;  but  just 
as  I've  made  an  inch  of  headway  that  cough  o'  mine 
gives  a  tug  and  pulls  me  back  again." 

*  That's  exactly  why  you  should  keep  quiet,  and  pre- 
tend it's  having  all  its  own  way;  and  one  fine  day, 
thinking  it's  finished  you  up  altogether,  it'll  march  it- 
self off,  and  then  you  and  I  will  have  the  laugh  of  it. 
See?" 

Christopher  nodded  feebly.  He  did  everything 
feebly  now.  He  was  not  even  strong  enough  to  no- 
tice the  child's  language  in  which  Leuw  had  thought 
fit  to  converse  with  him  for  the  last  week  or  two.  It 
had  given  Leuw  a  tremendous  shock  the  first  time 
Christopher  had  answered  some  simple  question  of  his 
by  a  look  of  blank  incomprehension.  A  feeling  of  un- 
utterable sadness  had  stolen  over  him  at  the  knowl- 
edge that  the  firm  of  Donaldson  &  Lipcott  now 
counted  one  sleeping  partner,  the  nature  and  degree  of 
whose  sleeping — Leuw  recoiled  from  the  thought — 
might  at  any  moment  turn  out  to  be  something  else 
than  what  the  business  idiom  implied.  At  first,  too, 
Leuw  had  felt  a  little  frightened  at  the  prospect  of  sole 
responsibility  devolving  on  him,  at  having  to  be  the 
umpire  of  his  own  initiative,  unqualified  by  reference 
to  Christopher's  sage  experience.  For  Christopher's 
days  of  wisdom  were  irrevocably  over.  But  then  Leuw 
took  heart  again  as  he  remembered  that  with  each  step 
forward  the  business  had  made,  so  in  proportion  had 
his  capacities  for  coping  with  it  increased;  and  the 
danger  he  apprehended  was  rather  that  they  would 
grow  out  of  proportion  and  chafe  against  the  narrow- 
ness of  their  scope.  The  chief  discomfort  of  it  was 
the  physical  strain  to  which  he  was  put;  what,  how- 


254 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


ever,  made  him  struggle  on  alone  was  the  considera- 
tion that  Christopher  would  look  on  the  suggestion  of 
keeping  a  shop-boy  or  clerk,  not  as  a  necessity  for  the 
prosperity  of  the  concern,  but  as  an  additional  sign  of 
his  own  uselessness.  And  Leuw  was  determined  to 
work  his  arms  and  legs  out  of  joint  sooner  than  give 
that  kindly,  old,  pain-riven  heart  a  final  pang.  And 
that  being  so,  he  once  more  fell  to  wondering  why, 
with  two  men's  work  on  his  hands,  the  day  should 
count  twice  the  ordinary  number  of  minutes  to  the 
hour. 

He  heaved  a  deep  sigh  of  relief  when  he  saw  the 
clock  pointing  to  seven.  Quietly  he  put  up  the  shut- 
ters without  giving  Christopher  any  reason  for  clos- 
ing an  hour  earlier.  For  one  thing,  it  was  unneces- 
sary, for  Christopher  now  never  took  it  into  his  head 
to  ask  what  the  time  was.  It  was  quite  obvious  that 
he  had  done  with  such  a  thing  as  time  and  its  difficult 
and  artificial  subdivisions. 

When  Leuw  came  home,  he  found  his  mother 
already  in  her  state  dress,  the  one  she  had  worn  last 
evening  at  the  Diamond's. 

"  Won't  we  be  late?  It's  such  a  long  way,  you 
know,"  she  said  anxiously. 

"  We  shall  be  early  enough,"  replied  Leuw,  a  little 
pettishly  perhaps.  But  despite  his  assurance  he  made 
such  a  hurried  supper  that  the  greater  part  of  it  re- 
mained behind  on  his  plate.  He  went  up  to  his  own 
room  at  a  leisurely  pace,  but  once  he  had  shut  the 
door,  he  broke  into  a  frantic  haste,  which  resulted  in 
half  the  desired  speed.  Of  course,  the  frisky  collar- 
stud  had  to  have  its  little  game  of  hide-and-seek,  and 
when  it  was  finally  captured,  Leuw  thought  unkind 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  255 

things  of  the  laundry  people  for  starching  the  button- 
holes into  such  obstinacy.  And  then,  when  he  came 
down,  he  found  to  his  surprise  that  instead  of  an  hour, 
as  he  had  imagined,  the  whole  proceedings  had  not 
taken  him  twenty  minutes. 

"  Leuw,  I  feel  a  trifle  nervous — do  you?  "  laughed 
Mrs.  Lipcott,  just  as  they  got  out  into  the  open. 

"  Nonsense,  mother,"  replied  Leuw.  Then  he 
stopped  abruptly.  "  I  must  run  in  again  for  a  minute. 
I've   forgotten    something;    my — handkerchief." 

He  left  his  mother  waiting  outside,  and  hurried  back 
to  his  room.  In  the  first  place  he  exchanged  the  hand- 
kerchief he  had  put  in  his  pocket  before  for  another 
one,  by  which  he  compromised  with  his  conscience 
for  having  put  his  mother  off  with  a  pretext.  Then  he 
unlocked  the  little  drawer,  in  which  he  kept  his  bank- 
book, and  extracted  from  it  an  envelope.  This  last 
contained,  as  he  assured  himself  by  a  cursory  inspec- 
tion, a  scrap  of  manuscript,  the  writing  of  which 
showed  the  faintness  of  age.  It  was  indeed  the  first 
communication  he  had  ever  received  by  post;  what 
prompted  him  to  take  it  with  him  now  when  he  was 
going  to  see  the  writer  of  it,  was  to  himself  a  mystery. 

'  I  wonder  which  turning  it  is,"  said  Leuw,  as  they 
came  out  of  the  station. 

!  The  third  on  the  right,"  answered  Mrs.  Lipcott, 
very  pat. 

"  Is  it?     How  do  you  know?" 

"  I  think  I  remember  Phil  saying  so,"  replied  his 
mother,  though  with  a  curious  embarrassment,  which 
did  not  escape  Leuw. 

"You're  right  about  the  turning;  now,  how  about 
finding  the  number?  "  said  Leuw. 


256  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

His  difficulty  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  houses 
stood  far  back  fringed  in  front  by  a  long  stretch  of 
garden. 

"  It's  the  fifth  house  on  the  other  side,"  said  Mrs. 
Lipcott. 

"Did  Phil  tell  you?" 

"  No — yes,"  vacillated  Mrs.  Lipcott. 

"  You've  been  here  before,  mother,"  said  Leuw, 
turning  on  her  quickly. 

"  Yes,  Leuw,"  admitted  Mrs.  Lipcott,  recovering 
herself.  "  I've  been  here  before,  four  times  I  believe. 
But  I  never  went  inside." 

"  Well,  then,  what  made  you  come  here  at  all? ' 

"  Leuw,  can't  you  understand?  " 

Leuw  thought  a  moment  or  two,  and  then  nodded 
assent  silently. 

"  I  couldn't  help  it,"  said  Mrs.  Lipcott  deprecat- 
ingly.  "  Sometimes  the  thought  of  him  grew  too 
strong  for  me,  and  then  I  came  up  here — after  it  was 
dark — and  stood  outside  just  to  feel  him  near  me  even 
if  .  .  .  ." 

"  Where's  the  need  of  explaining,  mother?  "  inter- 
rupted Leuw.     "  I  told  you  I  understood." 
'  Thank  you,  Leuw,"  said  Mrs.  Lipcott. 

They  found  Mrs.  Duveen,  Dulcie,  and  Phil  seated 
on  the  window  terrace — the  evening  was  very  fine — 
waiting  for  them.  A  vote  between  the  sitting-room 
and  a  little  more  of  the  terrace  was  easily  carried  in 
favor  of  the  latter. 

1  If  you're  not  too  tired,  we  might  take  a  stroll 
through  the  grounds,  Leuw,"  said  Phil  presently. 
"Dulcie,  you  will  come  too,  eh?" 

Dulcie's  ready  acceptance  of  the  suggestion  hardly 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  257 

left  Leuw  the  choice  of  a  refusal,  even  had  he  felt  in- 
clined to  refuse,  which  he  did  not.  He  could  not  quite 
make  it  out — the  phenomenon  disconcerted  him  some- 
what: the  moment  Dulcie  had  touched  his  hand  in 
welcome,  the  impatience  which  had  haunted  him  all 
day  had  lifted  as  though  by  magic.  Perhaps  now  he 
was  going  to  find  out  what  it  all  meant. 

Without  a  word  Mrs.  Duveen  watched  the  trio 
down  the  gate-walk ;  then  she  moved  her  chair  close  to 
Mrs.  Lipcott's. 

'  I  am  very  glad  we  have  an  opportunity  for  five 
minutes'  quiet  talk,"  she  said,  sinking  her  voice  rather 
unnecessarily,  because  the  others  were  far  out  of  ear- 
shot. '  I  had  hardly  hoped  we  should  get  it  so  easily, 
and  I  was  already  casting  about  for  a  stratagem." 

'  What,  is  it  anything  so  very  special  you  have  to 
say?  "  smiled  Mrs.  Lipcott. 

Yes,  very  special,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen,  evidently 
much  in  earnest.  "  It  is  nothing  less  than  to  ask  your 
forgiveness." 

"My  forgiveness?" 

'  I  did  you  a  great  wrong  in  taking  your  son  away 
from  you;  still  that  is  so  long  ago  that  I  may  fairly 
claim  that  time  has  made  good  my  trespass.  The 
wrong  I  want  you  to  forgive  I  committed  only  a  few 
days  back." 

'  Why,  surely — you  really  don't  mean — I  don't  un- 
derstand you,"  faltered  Mrs.  Lipcott  helplessly. 

"  You  will  soon,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen,  her  hand  clos- 
ing very  tightly  over  that  of  her  listener.  "  Mrs.  Lip- 
cott, the  truth  is  that  a  few  days  ago  I  robbed  you 
of  your  son  a  second  time.  No,  listen.  The  night 
Phil  returned  from  Cambridge  he  told  me  he  had  made 

17 


258  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

up  his  mind  to  go  back  to  you.  He  said — not  in  so 
many  words — that  he  had  eaten  the  bread  of  charity 
long  enough,  that  his  relationship  to  me  was  under- 
mining his  sense  of  manliness.  It  may  have  been  that, 
but  no  doubt  it  was  a  good  deal  more.  It  was  blood 
calling  to  blood;  the  old  ties  were  asserting  them- 
selves again — he  wanted  his  mother — his  real  mother, 
not  the  imitation  one  I  have  been  to  him.  No,  please, 
let  me  talk.  What  did  I  do?  I  was  false  to  the 
spirit  of  true  womanhood,  and  combated  his  natural, 
honorable  feelings  by  every  wile  and  guile  I  could 
think  of;  and  I  succeeded  in  chaining  him  down  again. 
For  the  time  being  I  felt  myself  justified  in  using  any 
measures,  no  matter  to  whom  I  might  be  dealing  hurt 
and  heart-ache.  1  was  jealous,  insensately  jealous. 
But,  thank  God,  I  have  come  back  to  my  right  mind; 
I  want  to  get  even  with  my  conscience — I  want  to  get 
even  with  you,  my  dear  friend." 

"  I  did  not  know  he  was  coming  back — I  never  ex- 
pected it,"  murmured  Mrs.  Lipcott  half  to  herself. 

"  That  only  makes  my  offense  greater,"  said  Mrs. 
Duveen  eagerly.  "  I  was  taking  an  unfair  advantage. 
If  you  had  known  that  his  intention  was  such,  you 
would  have  done  your  best  to  strengthen  it,  and  made 
it  hold  out  against  all  the  trickery  I  mustered  up. 
And  now  I  want  you  to  show  me  your  forgiveness — 
by  taking  him  back.  I  dare  not  tell  him  of  the  con- 
clusion I  have  come  to;  it  would  puzzle  him,  or  make 
him  think  I  was  playing  fast  and  loose  with  him,  and 
he  will  hate  me.  You  can  easily  set  right  my  blun- 
der.    Just  say  to  him:  *  Phil,  come,'  and  he  will  come." 

Mrs.  Lipcott  felt  the  slight  figure  next  to  her  quiv- 
er from  head  to  foot. 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  259 

"  But  you  want  to  keep  him  yourself,"  she  said. 

"  No,  I  don't  want  to  keep  him,"  cried  Mrs.  Du- 
veen;  "  I  want  to  be  able  to  look  you  and  everybody 
else  in  the  face." 

Mrs.  Lipcott  was  silent.  Gradually,  as  though  by 
the  growing  force  of  contact,  she  felt  a  shiver  tingle 
down  her  back.  But  no,  it  was  not  that;  she  had 
ample  cause  of  her  own  for  trembling.  She  had  been 
set  face  to  face  with  an  unexpected  temptation,  and 
she  did  not  know  how  she  would  come  through  it. 
It  was  a  terrible  thing  to  have  her  heart's  desire  placed 
within  easy  reach  of  her  and  to  feel  that  before  she 
might  snatch  at  it,  she  must  hustle  her  conscience  to 
one  side.  To  have  Phil  back  again?  Her  head 
whirled.  To  have  him  back  for  good  and  all,  and  to 
be  done  with  the  agony  of  empty  longing,  which  had 
hounded  her  forth,  on  the  cold  winter  nights,  haply 
to  get  a  glimpse  of  him,  and  assure  herself  that  she 
really  did  have  a  son  Phil,  whom  she  had  handed  over, 
of  her  own  free  will,  to  another  woman.  .  . .  And  here 
was  this  other  woman  pretending  that  she  was  eager 
to  restore  him,  and  pretending  very  badly,  for  with 
every  syllable  of  hers  she  had  cried  out  in  protest 
against  being  taken  at  her  word.  The  question  that 
put  itself  to  Mrs.  Lipcott  was,  which  of  the  two  was 
more  fit  for  making  sacrifice,  which  of  the  two  was 
more  cunning  in  the  art  of  resignation.  And  un- 
doubtedly the  answer  to  that  question  was — herself. 
Well,  then,  in  God's  name  .  .  . 

"  No,  Mrs.  Duveen,"  she  said  tremulously,  "  you 
blame  yourself  too  much.  You  were  right  in  doing 
your  best  to  keep  him  with  you.  You  have  earned 
him." 


26o  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

lk  Dont  try  to  justify  me  in  spite  of  myself,  Mrs. 
Lipcott.  The  only  favor  you  can  do  me  is  to  accept 
my  apology  and  to  tell  Phil  that  we  have  talked  the 
matter  over,  and  we  have  come  to  see  that  .  .  ." 

"  But  we  have  not  talked  the  matter  over/1  said 
Mrs.  Lipcott. 

"  Well,  then,  I  must  go  through  my  confession 
again,"  replied  Mrs.  Duveen,  a  little  wearily. 

k'  No,  what  I  mean  is  that  you  have  put  your  side 
of  the  case.     I  have  said  nothing  yet." 

"  But  there  is  no  need  for  it,  my  dear.  What  is  the 
use  of  putting  your  side?  I  admit  everything  before- 
hand." 

"  In  that  case,  Mrs.  Duveen,  Phil  stays  with  you." 

"  Stays  with  me?  Well,  then,  in  heaven's  name, 
what  are  you  going  to  say?  " 

Mrs.  Lipcott  set  her  teeth  firmly  before  replying 
— somehow  it  steadied  her  voice.  "  Onfy  that  I,  too, 
have  a  conscience,  and  that  my  conscience  tells  me 
that  your  claims  to  him  are  quite  as  great  as  mine. 
And  that's  why  it  is  better  things  should  keep  as  they 
are.  After  all,  it  was  surely  nothing  but  a  boy's 
fancy/' 

"Do  you  really  think  it  was  nothing  else?"  asked 
Mrs.  Duveen  wistfully. 

"  I  am  certain  of  it,"  said  Mrs.  Lipcott,  with  a  silent 
thanksgiving  that  she  was  convinced  of  the  contrary. 

'  Even  if  it  was,"  mused  Mrs.  Duveen,  "  I  can't 
understand  a  mother  being  so  strong." 

"  All  Jewish  mothers  are  strong,"  said  Mrs.  Lip- 
cott; "  you,  too,  although  you  may  not  know  it  your- 
self. I  think  we  all  learnt  the  lesson  from  Hannah — 
you  know  whom  I  mean,  the  one  who  saw  all  her 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  26l 

seven  sons  mangled  to  death,  one  after  another,  and 
helped  them  to  die  painlessly,  by  smiling  on  them  all 
the  time.  I've  read  her  story  over  and  over  again; 
but,  thank  God,  mine  is  a  very  different  one  to  hers." 

1  In  the  sadness  of  it  only;  in  the  heroism  you  rank 
equal,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen  very  softly. 

Whether  Mrs.  Lipcott  did  not  quite  catch  the  re- 
mark, or  whether  she  desired  to  clinch  the  matter  so 
as  to  cut  off  all  retreat  for  herself,  at  any  rate  her 
voice  was  quite  matter-of-fact  as  she  said: 

"  So  that  is  settled?" 

'  No,  not  quite  settled,"  replied  Mrs.  Duveen,  chok- 
ingly; "something  else  remains  to  be  done." 

She  took  Mrs.  Lipcott's  hands  in  her  own,  and 
pressed  them  convulsively  as  she  peered  hard  through 
the  gloom  into  the  dim  outlines  of  the  face  before  her. 
Then  with  a  gasp  that  was  more  a  sob,  she  whis- 
pered: 

"  Dinah !  " 

Mrs.  Lipcott  understood  at  once:  "  Rose,"  she  whis- 
pered back. 

With  that  the  two  were  in  each  other's  arms,  sealing 
their  compact  of  sisterhood  in  the  time-honored 
fashion  which  women  have. 

From  along  the  gate-walk  had  come  at  intervals  the 
sound  of  merry  laughter — Dulcie's  fresh  and  silvery, 
Phil's  full  and  sonorous,  both  punctuated  occasionally 
by  a  kind  of  good-humored  grunt,  which  could  only 
belong  to  Leuw.  They  were  indulging  in  reminis- 
cences of  last  night,  and  Mrs.*  Diamond  would  no 
doubt  have  been  considerably  chagrined,  had  she 
known  that  the  humorous  side  was  uppermost. 

"  Pity  Effie  isn't  down  with  us,"  said  Phil  tenta- 
tively.    "Won't  you  go  and  call  her,  Dulcie?" 


262  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  If  I  do,  I'll  have  to  do  it  through  the  key-hole,  be- 
cause the  door's  locked.  You  know  she  won't  be  in- 
terrupted when  she's  practicing." 

"  Well,  then,  let's  go  into  the  garden,"  suggested 
Phil  as  an  alternative. 

"  But  it's  so  dark  there — we  won't  be  able  to  see 
anything,"  objected  Dulcie. 

"  More  fun  that — having  to  feel  our  way,"  laughed 
Phil. 

"  And  suppose  I  bang  my  head  against  the  arbor?  ' 
said  Dulcie  merrily. 

"  So  much  the  worse  for  the  arbor,"  teased  Phil. 

A  "  wretch!  "  and  a  slap  from  Dulcie  were  the  pun- 
ishment of  the  offender. 

'  This  way,"  said  Phil,  "  and  let's  keep  close  to- 
gether. I  do  hope  we  won't  get  mixed  up  in  this 
Egypt." 

"  I'm  going  to  hold  tight  to  you,  Phil,"  said  Dulcie. 

"  We're  mixed  up  already,"  said  Leuw;  4k  you've  got 
hold  of  my  arm  instead  of  Phil's."     " 

"  Oh !  "  said  Dulcie,  letting  go  hastily. 

"Don't  you  think  mine  will  do  instead,  though?  ' 
asked    Leuw    in    a    tone    which    he    hoped    sounded 
facetious. 

Dulcie  was  about  to  be  agitated  by  qualms  of  pro- 
priety, but  she  quickly  repented.  Why,  Phil's 
brother  .  .  . 

"  But  you  must  promise  not  to  lose  me,"  she  said.  . 

Leuw,  however,  forgot  to  promise,  because  he  was 
much  too  busy  enjoying  the  contact  of  her  arm.  He 
was  altogether  in  a  forgetful  mood  to-night.  The 
darkness,  or  whatever  else  it  was,  seemed  to  have 
washed  from  his  mind  all  the  things  of  which  he  as  a 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  263 

rule  was  most  painfully  conscious — his  anxiety  about 
Christopher,  the  worries  of  the  business,  the  fatigue 
of  the  day's  toiling.  But  chiefly  he  had  forgotten  him- 
self. The  Leuw  he  used  to  know,  whose  soul  was 
nothing  but  an  impatient  straining  toward  the  goal 
his  resolution  had  set  up  for  him  immovably,  was 
hardly  recognizable  in  this  other  Leuw  who  ambled 
airily,  irresponsibly,  through  a  mystic  fairy-land,  not 
knowing  where  the  path  led  to,  not  caring  whether  it 
led  to  anywhere.  But  he  more  than  suspected  who 
the  guide  was  that  led  him  such  devious  ways;  in- 
deed it  was  the  only  certainty  he  possessed  at  present. 
To  him  Phil's  jesting  admonition  about  not  getting 
'  mixed  up  '  was  a  warning  to  be  taken  seriously. 
So  he  knew  that  he  would  untangle  himself  sooner  or 
later;  but — oh,  how  he  wished  it  might  be  later! 

Inch  by  inch  almost  they  crept  forward  along  one 
of  the  side  walks,  keeping  close  to  the  wall. 

"Oh!  Phil,"  cried  Dulcie  suddenly,  "I  think  I've 
trodden  something  dead — a  mimosa,  I  believe." 

'  Have  you?  Never  mind;  we  shan't  prosecute  you 
for  murder,"  said  Phil  drily. 

Dulcie  expressed  her  indignation  at  his  callous- 
ness by  addressing  Leuw:  "  If  you  had  sniggered  just 
then,  I  wouldn't  have  let  you  hold  my  arm  another 
second." 

Leuw  said  nothing,  but  felt  very  glad  for  having 
:<  just  then  "  communed  with  himself  so  earnestly  as 
not  to  have  overheard  Phil's  attempt  at  wit. 

A  yard  or  two  further  on  there  was  another  ex- 
clamation from  Dulcie. 

"What's  the  matter  now?"  asked  Phil  unsympa- 
thetically. 


264  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  I've  got  my  hair  caught  in  a  creeper — wait  a  bit; 
there,  I  am  loose  again." 

"  That's  right;  pretend  to  be  Absalom, "  chuckled 
Phil.  "  I  believe  he  was  left  hanging  to  his  tree  for 
killing  mimosas — what  do  you  say,  Leuw?' 

"  I'm  going  back,"  cried  Dulcie,  ruffled  as  to  her 
temper  as  well  as  her  hair. 

"No,  you  won't,"  said  Phil  sternly;  "we're  going 
to  make  the  round  of  this  garden — if  we  all  hang  for 

it" 

After  a  little  demur,  which  was  obviously  artificial, 
Dulcie  consented  to  proceed. 

"  I  say,  Leuw,  we'd  have  given  something  for  this 
place  in  the  old  days,  eh?  What  sort  for  playing  Red 
Indians?"  asked  Phil. 

"  Yes,  it  seems  grand  for  prowling,"  replied  Leuw. 

"  Oh!  yes,  a  fine  lot  of  prowling  you'd  have  done 
here,"  said  Dulcie  scornfully.  "  If  old  Rackham — 
that's  our  gardener — had  caught  you  at  it — he'd  have 
scalped  you  with  his  pruning  knife." 

Phil  had  stopped;  more  by  the  sound  of  his  move- 
ments than  by  sight,  for  the  night  though  calm  and 
clear  was  very  dark,  they  perceived  he  was  recon- 
noitering. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do?"  asked  Dulcie. 

"  Find  out  where  we  are.     Do  you  know?" 

"  We've  passed  the  arbor  .  .  ." 

'  Without  knocking  it  over  luckily,"  interjected 
Phil. 

''  And  ought  to  be  somewhere  near  the  shrubbery." 

'  I  happen  to  think  otherwise,  Dulcie.     I've  got  a 

horrible    suspicion    we've    got    into    the    chrysanthe- 


mums." 


"  I'm  going  to  tell  you  the  truth  now,"  said  Dulcie 

resolutely. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  265 

"  There,  what  did  I  say?  I  told  you  not  to  go  off 
the  path.  Mother'll  be  awfully  angry  if  we  do  any 
damage  to  them." 

"  I  must  admit  the  chrysanthemums  are  rather  a 
weak  spot  with  her,"  said  Phil  soberly. 

"  What's  to  be  done?  "  asked  Leuw. 

"  Perhaps,  if  we  wait  a  bit,  the  moon  will  come  out," 
hazarded  Dulcie. 

"  Nonsense,"  said  Phil,  "  there  won't  be  any  moon 
to-night.  You  keep  here  while  I  trail  back  cautiously 
and  fetch  a  lantern." 

The  other  two  listened  to  the  sound  of  his  retreating 
footsteps  as  far  as  their  ears  could  follow  them. 

"  This  is  a  tremendously  big  garden,  you  know," 
said  Dulcie  at  last;  "  and  the  dark  makes  it  look  twice 
as  big." 

"  Don't  you  feel  frightened?  "  asked  Leuw. 

"  What  should  I  be  frightened  about?  "  answered 
Dulcie  astonished. 

"  Oh!  nothing;  only  it's  so  dark,  you  see,"  faltered 
Leuw. 

1 1  know  what  you  mean,"  said  Dulcie  after  a  pause. 
"  You  mean  stopping  here  with  you." 

"  And  considering  I'm  little  more  than  a  stranger," 
added  Leuw. 

"  Not  so  much  as  you  think,"  came  from  Dulcie, 
almost  involuntarily. 

"Not  so  much  as  I  think?"  echoed  Leuw. 

"  I'm  going  to  tell  you  the  truth  now,"  said  Dulcie 
resolutely;  "  it's  easier  in  the  dark.  If  it  was  always 
dark,  I  think  people  wouldn't  tell  each  other  lies.  Do 
you  remember  I  pretended  last  night  I  didn't  know 
how  long  it  was  since  we  met  last?  " 


266  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  I  didn't  know  you  were  only  pretending,"  said 
Leuw,  his  heart  in  his  mouth. 

"  I  did.  I  knew  exactly  how  long  it  was ;  and — I 
was  very  angry  that  it  was  so  long.  Did  Phil  never 
give  you  any  messages?  " 

"  He  gave  me  several;  only  I  thought  he  made 
them  up  himself." 

"  No,  they  came  from  me  right  enough.  That 
shows  I  thought  about  you  sometimes,  doesn't  it? ' 

Leuw  nodded,  forgetting  that  the  gesture  was  an 
absurdity  under  the  circumstances. 

"  Doesn't  it?  "  insisted  Dulcie. 

"  Yes." 

"  Oh,  I'm  going  to  tell  3^011  everything,"  went  on 
Dulcie,  recklessly;  "  I  want  to  make  up  for  playing  the 
fraud  last  night.  Sometimes,  well,  more  than  some- 
times, I  wondered  what  was  going  to  become  of  you. 
Once  or  twice  I  had  an  idea  you  might  turn  out  bad 
— you  can  never  tell  with  boys,  you  know;  but  that 
was  only  once  or  twice.  Mostly  I  felt  very  hopeful 
about  you.  Well,  so  when  I  saw  you  yesterday,  I 
felt  at  once  that  you  had  turned  out  as  I  had  always 
pictured  to  myself  you  would.  That's  what  I  mean 
by  saying  you  aren't  such  a  stranger  to  me.  Why, 
I  feel  as  if  I  had  seen  you  and  talked  to  you  every  day 
all  these  years." 

The  logic  of  Dulcie's  explanation  was  perfectly  ob- 
vious to  Leuw's  understanding,  and  from  his  under- 
standing it  passed  on  to  his  heart,  which  seemed  to 
be  its  real  destination,  judging  from  the  way  it  made 
itself  at  home  there. 

'  I'm  so  glad  you  hoped  the- best  for  me,"  he  said 
humbly,  gratefully. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  267 

"Are  you?     Why?" 

"  Because  your  hoping  perhaps  helped  me  a  little 
towards  it." 

"  Yes,  I  do  think  sometimes  hoping  is  nearly  as 
good  as  praying,"  mused  Dulcie. 

"  But  I'm  not  going  to  leave  all  the  truth-telling  to 
you,"  went   on   Leuw. 

"  What,  have  you  been  pretending  as  well? ' 

1  In  a  sort  of  way.  I  knew  those  messages  came 
from  you." 

"  And  that's  why  you  took  no  notice  of  them?  " 

"I  refused  to  come  because  I  wasn't  fit  to  come. 
I  was  clumsy  and  awkward.  I  didn't  know  how  to 
wear  my  clothes  properly,  I  spoke  badly,  I  wasn't 
your  equal.  And  I  was  terribly  afraid  you  would  find 
it  out,  and  get  disappointed  with  me,  and  give  me  the 
go-by  altogether.  I  dare  say  you  would  have  treated 
me  very  politely  and  not  have  laughed  till  my  back 
was  turned,  and  perhaps  after  a  while  you  might  have 
— have  tolerated  me,  but  I  don't  care  for  the  idea  of 
being  tolerated.  Oh!  yes,  I've  wanted  to  come  ever 
so  much;  but  the  risk  was  too  great." 

"  You  mean  to  say  it  wasn't  mother  you  minded,  or 
Uncle  Bram,  only  me?  " 

"  Only  you." 

"  What  a  pity,"  said  Dulcie  regretfully. 

"What  is?" 

"  That  you  didn't  explain  it  all  to  me  long  ago.  If 
you  had,  I  could  easily  have  taken  care  not  to  get  dis- 
appointed with  you,  and  have  made  proper  allowances 
— for — for  things.  Look  what  a  terrible  lot  of  friend- 
ship we  have  wasted  all  these  years.     It's  sinful." 

"  Couldn't  we  make  up  for  it  now,  by  being  friends 
all  the  harder?  "  suggested  Leuw. 


268  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  Will  you  do  your  share  of  it,  though?  ' 

Leuw  was  silent,  casting  about  for  some  emphatic 
rejoinder  to  assert  his  willingness.  Unconsciously 
almost  his  hand  slipped  into  his  pocket  where  reposed 
the  scrap  of  paper  she  had  sent  him  long  ago,  and 
which  he  had  treasured  so  assiduously.  He  had  half 
pulled  it  out,  intending  to  explain  to  her  what  part 
it  might  play  as  evidence,  when  a  streak  of  light 
flashed  towards  them,  and  Phil  sang  out: 
.    "  Ship  ahoy  there!  " 

"  Say  you  will,"  urged  Dulcie,  not  understanding 
Leuw's  silence. 

"  Yes,  I  will,"  said  Leuw  quickly,  thrusting  the  en- 
velope back  into  his  pocket.  The  opportunity  had 
passed.  Perhaps  there  might  be  another  later  on  in 
the  evening;  even  if  there  was  not,  he  had  no  cause  to 
grumble. 

"  Now,  then,  you  thieves — no  larks.  Where  are 
you?"  sang  out  Phil's  voice  again. 

"  Here,  where  you  left  us,"  answered  Dulcie. 

Together  with  the  light  streak  came  a  burst  of 
laughter  which  showed  Phil  to  be  accompanied  by 
Efiie. 

"  Ten  to  one  she's  laughing  at  us ;  I  suppose  Phil's 
been  telling  her  of  our  plight,"  said  Leuw  good- 
humoredly. 

"  We  can  afford  to  let  her  laugh,  eh?  "  said  Dulcie, 
and  Leuw  replied  with  a  heartfelt  "  Yes." 

'  Cheer  up,  you  wretched  castaways — help  is  com- 
ing," jeered  Erne;  and  presently  the  relief  party  was 
upon  them. 

'  Good  gracious!  don't  we  all  look  handsome,"  con- 
tinued Effie,  referring  to  the  fact  that  the  lantern — 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  269 

Phil's  bicycle  lamp — cast  a  thin  trail  of  light  on  the 
ground  while  leaving  their  faces  in  total  darkness. 

"Jingo! — saved  by  an  inch,"  said  Phil,  examining 
their  relative  position  to  the  chrysanthemums.  "  Now 
for  the  retreat.  Follow  me  closely  all  of  you.  Ahem! 
I  feel  like  Xenophon  and  his  Ten  Thousand/' 

"  Phil,  how  can  you  talk  shop  under  these  distress- 
ing circumstances?"  said  Effie.  "  Who,  by  the  way, 
was  this  Mr.  Xylophon?  " 

Phil's  account  of  the  famous  Anabasis  made  the 
return  journey  seem  unnecessarily  short — unneces- 
sarily for  Leuw  at  least.  But  he  would  not  give  way 
to  the  vague  dissatisfaction  at  having  soon  to  share 
with  the  world  something  which  in  a  few  brief  mo- 
ments he  had  come  to  regard  as  his  own.  The  folly 
of  it  was  obvious.  And  besides  he  noted  that,  as  soon 
as  they  got  into  the  radius  of  the  hall-lamp,  Dulcie's 
first  glance  was  at  him,  and  he  was  strangely  com- 
forted. 

Mrs.  Duveen  and  Mrs.  Lipcott  were  just  going 
within.  The  electroliers  inside  were  sending  out  a 
great  flood  of  light  through  the  three  ground-floor 
windows.  Leuw  took  in  with  astonishment,  a  kind  of 
dismay  almost,  the  breadth  and  bulk  of  the  house, 
which  the  enveloping  gloom  had  previously  shown  up 
as  a  shadowy  outline.  Compared  to  it,  his  own  dwell- 
ing off  the  Mile  End  Road  was  a  mere  child's  toy. 
The  feeling  that  came  over  him  had  in  it  nothing  of 
envy.  His  dismay  was  changing  to  downright  alarm. 
It  made  him  catch  his  breath  like  one  who  was  about 
to  plunge  into  an  unseen  danger,  and  has  been  cau- 
tioned not  a  heart-beat  too  soon.  The  huge  house 
lowered  down  upon  him  warningly.     It  put  to  flight 


270 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT 


certain  imaginings  of  his,  half-formed  and  inchoate, 
and  yet  leaving  a  void,  such  as  he  would  only  expect 
from  the  effacing  of  his  dearest  and  most  familiar 
thought.  And  the  worst  of  it  was  that  he  could  not 
make  up  his  mind  whether  his  prevailing  mood  should 
be  that  of  sadness  or  of  anger. 

"  Late  Victorian,  with  a  dash  of  Gothic;  I  hope  you 
like  the  style,"  said  Phil  at  his  elbow. 

Leuw  gave  a  start,  but,  recovering  himself  imme- 
diately, forced  a  laugh.  Then,  at  Phil's  suggestion, 
he  followed  him  up  into  the  hall  and  thence  into  the 
sitting-room  with  its  broad  glare  of  light.  But  though 
the  brightness  did  not  re-assure  Leuw,  it  at  any  rate 
helped  him  to  adjust  his  emotions.  He  knew  now 
that  the  proper  feeling  under  the  circumstances  was 
not  sadness,  but  anger — anger  against  himself  for  an 
improvident  fool  who  was  coining  counterfeit  hopes 
and  thinking  therewith  to  bribe  off  a  sure  and  im- 
mutable disappointment. 

However,  having  come  to  the  conclusion  that  he 
was  a  prodigal  fool,  Leuw,  from  notions  of  self-re- 
spect, refused  to  add  to  his  folly  and  prodigality  by 
wasting  the  pleasure  of  the  moment.  For,  indeed,  they 
made  a  merry  company,  and  Uncle  Bram's  arrival 
shortly  afterwards  did  certainly  not  detract  from  the 
animation  of  the  proceedings. 

'  I'm  glad  to  have  this  chance  of  improving  our 
acquaintance,"  said  Uncle  Bram  on  shaking  hands 
with  Leuw.     "  I've  heard  such  a  lot  about  you." 

And  Mr.  Alexander,  being  despite  his  bodily 
bulk  a  man  of  prompt  action,  lost  no  time  in  taking 
stock  of  Leuw.  But  he  was  exceedingly  astonished 
at  the  keen  grasp  of  affairs   Leuw  displayed  in  his 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  271 

remarks;  his  knowledge  of  the  questions  of  the  clay; 
his  insight  into  matters  commercial  and  economic. 

"  How  did  you  get  to  know  all  these  things?  "  Mr. 
Alexander  could  not  forbear  asking  at  last. 

'  Oh,  I  keep  my  eyes  and  ears  open — I  mean  I  read 
the  papers  and  attend  a  good  many  lectures,"  replied 
Leuw,  with  a  pleased  smile  at  the  implied  compli- 
ment. He  was  all  the  more  glad  of  the  good  impres- 
sion he  was  producing  upon  Mr.  Alexander,  because 
he  knew  he  was  doing  so  almost  in  spite  of  himself; 
he  by  no  means  felt  at  his  best.  It  cost  him  more  than 
one  great  effort  to  prevent  his  mind  and  his  eyes  from 
wandering  to  where  Dulcie,  Phil,  and  Effie  were  exer- 
cising their  joint  ingenuity  over  a  new  toy  puzzle 
which  Uncle  Bram  had  brought  with  him  from  the 
City.  Leuw  could  have  solved  it  in  a  twinkling;  in 
fact,  he  had  himself  stocked  the  toy  heavily.  But  he 
also  knew  that  his  anxiety  to  be  with  them  did  not 
arise  entirely  from  a  desire  to  show  off  his  superiority 
in  the  matter. 

At  last,  however,  Mr.  Alexander  thought  himself 
in  duty  bound  to  transfer  his  attention  to  Mrs.  Lip- 
cott,  and  Leuw  obtained  his  release.  After  that, 
things  went  so  rapidly  that  when  Leuw  shot  an  appre- 
hensive glance  at  the  mantle-piece  clock  he  had  an 
agreeable  thrill  of  surprise  at  finding  it  only  half-past 
ten.  As  to  doubting  the  bona  fides  of  so  solid  and 
venerable  a  concern,  Leuw  felt  it  would  be  nothing 
short  of  a  positive  insult,  and  so  he  refrained  consid- 
erately from  comparing  it  with  his  own  time-piece. 
They  need  not  leave  for  an  hour. 

But  an  hour  is  an  hour,  even  when  it  seems  ten 
minutes,  and  the  London  Railway  Companies  are  run 


2J2.  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

in  accordance  with  chronometric  and  not  emotional 
regulations.  Punctually  at  half-past  eleven  Leuw  sig- 
naled to  his  mother. 

"  It's  no  use,  Leuw,  there  are  no  more  trains  to- 
night," said  Phil,  smiling  at  Mrs.  Duveen. 

Leuw  looked  blank. 

"There's  a  train  at  ten  to  twelve;  I  enquired,"  he 
said. 

44  So  there  is,  but  that  went  three-quarters  of  an 
hour  ago;  that  clock's  an  hour  slow;  in  fact,  I  moved 
it  back  myself,"  laughed  Phil,  delighted  at  the  success 
of  his  ruse. 

44  You  see,"  explained  Mrs.  Duveen,  apologetically, 
"  Phil  was  so  bent  on  making  a  long  night  of  it,  as  he 
called  it,  and  I  had  to  promise  him  I  wouldn't  interfere 
with  his  wish." 

"  I,  too,  was  sworn  to  silence,  or  else  I  should  have 
let  my  Waterbury  speak,"  joined  in  Uncle  Bram. 

"  What's  to  be  clone,  Leuw?  "  asked  Mrs.  Lipcott. 

"  We'll  have  a  cab,  mother,"  said  .Leuw  cheerfully. 

"  No,  you  won't,  you'll  stay  here  over  night,  and 
see  me  to  the  station  in  the  morning — that  was  the 
idea  of  the  conspiracy,"  said  Phil. 

"  Mother  can  stay;  I  must  be  at  the  shop  at  nine," 
said  Leuw  firmly. 

And  so  the  arrangement  stood.  Mrs.  Duveen  al- 
lowed another  half  hour's  grace,  and  then,  with  special 
reference  to  the  two  girls  and  the  support  of  Mrs. 
Lipcott,  she  moved  that  the  female  contingent  should 
adjourn  to  rest. 

'  Call  this  a  late  night?  A  fraud  I  call  it,"  cried 
Effie  indignantly,  while  Dulcie  looked  dumb  entreaty. 

But  Mrs.  Duveen's  ruling  prevailed,  as  it  always 
did  in  matters  of  household  routine.     Leuw  nodded  in 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  273 

polite  compliance  to  Mrs.  Duveen,  who  said  some- 
thing about  now  that  he  had  broken  the  ice;  he  under- 
stood her  to  say  that  she  wished  him  to  come  very 
often,  but  the  actual  words  he  only  caught  vaguely. 
That  was  because  there  rang  in  his  ears  and  in  his 
heart  the  echo  of  Dulcie's  "  good-night,"  to  which  she 
had  added  half  timorously  the  word  "  Leuw."  It  came 
to  him  as  a  revelation  how  wonderfully  soft  and 
musical  his  name  could  be  made  to  sound. 

1  Now  that  you  will  have  to  cab  it  anyhow,  you  may 
as  well  stay  on  a  bit,"  said  Phil. 

Yes,  do,"  urged  Uncle  Bram;  and  Leuw  readily 
consented.  He  had  an  idea  that  for  the  present  he 
was  not  fit  company  for  himself. 

The  talk  at  first  was  somewhat  desultory,  drifting 
lightly  here  and  there,  until,  half  at  Uncle  Bram's 
suggestion,  Leuw  brought  it  to  anchor  with  an  ac- 
count of  his  career  to  date.  Uncle  Bram  followed 
him  with  unmistakable  interest,  as  did  Phil,  to  whom 
Leuw's  doings  were  always  instinct  with  the  zest  of 
romance.  No  wonder,  for  to  the  student,  to  whom 
books  are  the  world,  it  is  the  realities  of  life  that  take 
the  shape  of  fairy  tales.  And  Phil's  pride  in  his  ad- 
venturous brother  waxed  boundlessly,  although  the 
latter's  unusual  communicativeness  surprised  him  not 
a  little.  Leuw  could  have  explained  it  by  a  desire  to 
stand  well  in  the  eyes  of  Dulcie's  uncle,  an  explanation 
which  would  have  sounded  perfectly  natural ;  but  Leuw 
himself  might  have  felt  considerably  at  a  loss,  had  he 
been  asked  to  trace  that  desire  back  to  its  first  begin- 
nings. 

Uncle  Bram  seemed  to  have  an  inkling  that  he  was 
being  treated  exceptionally,  as  his  next  words  showed. 
18 


274  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Lipcott,  for  having  made  me  your 
confidant.  I  feel  honored  and  delighted.  I  won't 
say  that  my  belief  in  my  brother s-in-faith  has  ever 
been  materially  shaken,  but  it  is  just  as  well  that  it 
should  occasionally  get  a  spoonful  of  tonic,  and  you 
have  been  as  good  as  a  whole  bottle.  You  see,  we 
oldsters  have  a  long  way  to  look  back,  and  only  a  little 
way  to  look  forward — no  further  than  to  the  rising 
generation.  We  haven't  half  as  much  time  as  we  should 
like  in  which  to  do  our  duty  to  the  future  of  our  race; 
and  that  is  why  we  are  so  pleased  each  time  we  get 
an  assurance  that  at  least  our  immediate  successors 
will  safeguard  our  traditions.  Only  the  sceptic  or 
the  faint-heart  will  ask  for  more  than  that.  As  long 
as  we  are  sure  of  you,  we  may,  in  the  natural  order 
of  things,  be  sure  of  those  who  will  in  their  turn  take 
your  places.  And  so  link  will  follow  link,  until  our 
destiny,  or  God's  purpose  in  us,  will  have  been  ac- 
complished. " 

Uncle  Bram's  voice  had  sunk  reverently;  his  last 
words  might  have  been  the  cadence  of  a  prayer. 

"  I  understand  you,  Mr.  Alexander,"  said  Leuw, 
regarding  him  steadily. 

"  You  may  wonder  at  the  importance  I  attach  to 
you,"  continued  Mr.  Alexander  more  briskly.  '  I 
have  good  reason  for  it.  I  am  not  often  mistaken  in 
my  estimates,  and  I  consider  you  have  in  you  the 
makings  of  a  worker,  a  worker  of  the  most  valuable 
sort,  because  you  have  lived  what  we  others  have  but 
observed.  We  should  be  to  you  what  the  dilettante 
is  to  the  professional.  But  don't  hurry;  grow  ripe  at 
your  leisure;  you  have  still  your  own  field  to  plough. 
In  the  meantime,  do  you  know  what  I  should  like  to 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  275 

do  with  you?  I  should  like  to  bind  you  down  by  an 
affidavit,  a  moral  one,  of  course,  that  when  you  hear 
the  call,  within  you  or  without,  you  will  answer  it 
and  not  give  precedence  to  other  interests.  It  is  per- 
haps an  impertinence  of  me.  I  shan't  be  offended  at 
your  saying  so." 

"  To  tell  you  the  truth,  Mr.  Alexander,  I  don't  want 
to  be  bound  down  to  it,"  answered  Leuw. 

Mr.  Alexander  smiled.  "  I  can  guess  the  sense  in 
which  you  want  me  to  take  that.  I  am  nothing  but 
an  old  bungler  for  wishing  to  rob  you  of  the  credit  of 
the  initiative.     Forgive  and  forget  my  mistake." 

Shortly  afterwards  the  conference  broke  up.  Uncle 
Bram  retired  to  the  bedroom  which  was  ever  at  his 
disposal.  Leuw  and  Phil  stood  at  the  street  door, 
clasping  each  other's  hand  firmly.  For  a  minute 
neither  spoke. 

'  I'm  not  going  to  say  good-by,  Leuw,"  remarked 
Phil  at  last;  "it's  all  right  as  a  sentiment,  but  as  a 
word  it  sounds  too  formidable." 

Leuw  nodded.  "  You  mean  we  aren't  really  part- 
ing from  one  another." 

"  No,  and  never  shall,"  said  Phil;  "  you  will  be  go- 
ing your  way  and  I  mine,  but  I  shall  always  feel  as  if 
I  should  only  have  to  stretch  out  my  arm  in  order  to 
tap  you  on  the  shoulder." 

"  And  you  may  be  sure  that  I  shall  stop  and  turn, 
whatever  may  be  my  errand,"  replied  Leuw. 

'  I'm  glad  it's  you  who  are  leaving  the  house,  not 
I,"  smiled  Phil. 

"  What  do  you  mean?"  queried  Leuw,  not  catching 
his  drift. 

"  Don't  you  remember  it's  the  privilege  of  the  one 


276  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

who  stops  behind  to  call  after  the  outgoing  one:  '  The 
Lord  bless  and  preserve  you? '  "  replied  Phil,  repeat- 
ing the  old  formula  in  its  Hebrew  setting. 

"  Youve  certainly  got  an  unfair  advantage,  but  I'll 
be  even  with  you  one  of  these  days,"  smiled  Leuw. 
And  with  that  he  went. 

A  few  yards  down  the  road  he  was  hailed  from  a 
passing  hansom  with  the  customary  "  Cab,  sir?' 
Leuw  answered  with  a  ringing  "  No,  thanks/'  and 
hurried  on.  The  idea  of  riding  when  he  had  so  much 
to  walk  out  of  himself!  He  felt  much  more  inclined 
to  "  take  two  cabs  and  run  between,"  which  he  and  his 
mates  used  to  advise  each  other  in  the  old  days  was  a 
healthy  way  of  getting  home  from  anywhere. 

The  sky  had  preserved  the  same  hue  of  solid  inki- 
ness  which  had  necessitated  the  halt  at  the  chrysan- 
themums. Leuw  was  halting  there  once  more;  he 
was  again  listening  to  Dulcie's  offer  of  friendship. 
Now  he  could  puzzle  it  out  at  his  convenience.  He 
knew  what  friendship  meant;  Christopher  had  taught 
him  that.  But  the  sober,  reasoning  attachment  that 
drew  him  to  the  old  man  contained  none  of  the  re- 
sponsiveness wherewith  he  strained  towards  this  girl- 
woman.  That  was  instinct  with  an  involuntary  yearn- 
ing for  affinity  which  he  could  not  explain  by  any  rule 
or  rote  of  argument,  which  robbed  him  of  all  the  self- 
knowledge  to  which  he  had  so  laboriously  attained. 
What  was  going  to  be  its  development?  This  was 
what  he  must  make  up  his  mind  on — and  quickly. 
He  could  not  say  that  he  had  nothing  to  guide  him. 
There  was  the  warning  that  had  been  borne  in  upon 
him  at  sight  of  the  great  house — the  warning,  cor- 
roborated by  his  wondering  survey  of  the  grandly  ap- 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  277 

pointed  chamber,  which  had  awed  him  the  whole  even- 
ing with  its  air  of  quiet,  unconscious  magnificence. 
The  couch  whereon  he  had  sat  had  forced  upon  him 
comparison  with  the  hard-ribbed,  horse-hair  sofa  in 
his  own  home,  the  sofa  which  was  intended  for  the 
crowning  glory  of  the  newly  acquired  furniture,  and 
which  now  was  the  first  support  that  gave  way  in  the 
fabric  of  his  pride.  There  had  grown  up  in  him  a 
sense  of  difference,  of  distance;  he  felt  that  in  having 
got  rid  of  his  awkwardness  in  speech  and  manner  he 
had  done  but  the  least  part  to  set  him  on  a  plane  with 
the  girl  who  wanted  his  friendship.  So  then  there  he 
must  stop;  it  was  madness  to  think  further,  to  feel 
further.  He  must  husband  the  energy  of  heart  he 
was  willing  to  lavish  and  add  it  instead  to  his  muscle, 
his  brain;  he  must  forge  ahead  till  the  difference  was 
bridged,  until  the  distance  lay  behind,  until  .  .  . 

He  had  got  eastward  of  the  Bank.  Past  him  lum- 
bered heavy  drays,  drawn  by  patient,  way-sure  horses, 
while  the  drivers  huddled  snoring  on  their  box-seats. 
They  were  bringing  the  produce  of  the  fields  to  be 
devoured  by  the  dwellers  of  the  town.  Ah,  what  a 
hungry,  ravenous  city  it  was!  God  help  the  one  that 
got  into  "its  clutches,  and  did  not  prove  too  tough  a 
morsel  for  its  maw.  Leuw  almost  laughed;  it  would 
find  him  tough  enough;  it  would  break  its  teeth  on 
him — Leuw  Lipcott  was  no  vegetable-marrow. 

A  little  way  on  he  passed  the  East  London  meat- 
market.  Dozens  of  men  were  already  hard  at  work 
loading  the  carcasses  of  sheep  and  bullocks  on  to  the 
hurdle  wagons  that  were  to  distribute  them  to  the 
dealers.  Leuw  could,  distinguish  between  the  beasts 
that  had  been  pole-axed  and  those  which  had  been 


278  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT 

killed  according  to  the  Mosaic  rite.  The  former  had 
about  them  a  look  of  uncanny  starkness,  symbolic  of 
the  rebellious  spirit  in  which  they  had  submitted  to 
their  fate.  The  latter — Leuw  felt  conscious  of  the 
curiousness  of  his  fancy — showed  calm  and  resigned 
in  their  death.  Leuw  remembered  reading  about  the 
furious  controversies  which,  especially  on  the  Con- 
tinent, raged  concerning  the  merits  and  demerits  of 
the  Mosaic  method.  It  seemed  to  him  that  his  ob- 
servation might  almost  constitute  a  serious  contribu- 
tion to  the  question. 

On  and  on  he  strode.  Near  the  great  Assembly 
Hall,  where  his  brethren  were  wont  to  worship  in  their 
thousands  on  the  High  Festivals,  he  met  a  group  of 
wedding-guests  trudging  wearily  home,  the  men  limp 
and  wan,  the  women,  white-shawled,  looking  like  so 
many  ghosts  in  the  gathering  dawn.  Ghosts?  Leuw 
drew  himself  up  taut,  as  though  in  protest  against  the 
suggestion.  His  life  contained  no  spectres;  it  was  all 
morning,  the  essence  of  daylight.  It  flashed  through 
his  soul  the  radiance  of  hope;  it  undulated  in  his 
pulses  with  billows  of  youth  and  strength;  his  heart 
cried  out  lustily.  The  future  was  his,  and  the  future 
held  everything. 


t* 


CHAPTER  XX 

"This  is  Thursday,  ain't  it,  Leuw?"  enquired  old 
Christopher  towards  the  evening  of  the  next  day  but 
one. 

'  Quite  right,"  replied  Leuw  joyfully,  for  Christo- 
pher's question  betokened  a  more  accurate  count  of 
time  than  he  had  been  capable  of  lately,  and  hence  a 
return  towards  a  normal  condition.  But  Leuw  was 
speedily  disillusioned. 

'  How  do  you  think  I  know?  "  went  on  Christopher, 
with  a  cunning  smile.     "  How  do  you  think  I  know?  ': 

He  dived  into  his  pocket  and  fetched  out  a  stick, 
some  three  inches  in  length,  notched  at  intervals. 

"  Now,  look  here,  Leuw.  I  know  there's  seven 
days  to  the  week.  Every  morning  I  cut  a  notch  into 
this  here  stick  o'  wood,  and  when  there's  seven 
notches,  then  it's  Thursday  again.  Now  you  can 
guess  why  I  want  it  to  be  Thursday." 

Of  course  Leuw  could  guess.  According  to  an 
arrangement,  which  was  almost  a  contract,  and  dated 
back  to  the  very  commencement  of  their  partnership, 
Leuw  and  Christopher  spent  their  Thursday  evenings 
together. 

Before  the  old  man's  breakdown  this  had,  as  a  rule, 
meant  a  visit  to  one  of  the  East  End  theatres,  with 
Christopher  defraying  all  expenses;  but  now  they  took 
it  quietly,  chatting  away  in  the  workshop-parlor  till 
eleven  or  even  later.  For  Leuw  tried  to  delay  as  long 
as  possible  the  wistful  look  Christopher  gave  him  at 


280  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

parting,  and  which  sometimes  haunted  him  through- 
out the  night.     It  came  back  to  him  now. 

'  It's  no  use,  Christopher,"  he  said  almost  sternly. 
:  You'll  have  to  give  in  and  live  at  home  with  us." 

'  No,  Leuw,"  said  Christopher  with  the  stubborn- 
ness of  old  age,  "  not  yet,  at  least.  I'd  be  making  a 
bad  bargain  over  the  deal.  You  see,  here  I've  got 
you  with  me  the  whole  day;  suppose  I  was  livin'  at 
your  place,  I'd  only  be  with  you  an  hour  or  two  of 
an  evening  and  perhaps  not  that,  because  it'll  be  poor 
fun  for  an  able-bodied  chap  to  mope  along  of  a  tum- 
ble-down old  carcass  like  me.  And  for  another 
thing,"  he  went  on,  forestalling  Leuw's  remonstrance, 
"  I've  somehow  got  an  idea  as  once  I  leave  this  here 
shop,  I'll  never  set  foot  in  it  again.  And  this  here 
shop,  you  must  know,  is  the  oldest  pal  I've  got,  seein' 
as  it's  grown  old  along  o'  me.  And  that  would  finish 
me  off  quicker  nor  everything." 

Leuw  did  not  have  the  heart  to  press  his  point,  be- 
cause the  old  man  evidently  meant  what  he  said. 

'  I  want  to  ask  you  something,"  began  Christopher, 
as  Leuw  came  in  after  putting  up  the  shutters  outside, 
and  proceeded  straightway  to  set  the  kettle  on  the 
hob.     "  Are  you  good  at  telling  dreams?" 

"  Can't  say  I  ever  went  in  for  the  thing,"  replied 
Leuw. 

"  D'you  know  why?  Because  o'  late  I've  taken  to 
dreamin'  o'  Syd  Mitchell." 

'  Well,  you  couldn't  dream  of  anybody  better,  while 
you're  at  it,"  remarked  Leuw  busily. 

'  I  dare  say  I  couldn't;  but,"  Christopher  shook  his 
head  disapprovingly,  "  he's  gettin'  a  bit  of  a  nuisance, 
is  Solly  Myers.     There  he  comes  at  nights  and  sits 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  281 

by  the  side  o'  my  bed,  tellin'  me  yarns  about  the  old 
times  when  we  laid  under  canvas  together,  holdin'  on 
to  the  tent-pegs  for  fear  the  wind  should  whisk  it 
off.  .  .  .  Well,  and  what's  the  upshot  of  it?  Last 
night,  when  he  didn't  turn  up  as  usual,  I  goes  out  to 
find  him,  all  the  way  to  Kingdom  come,  and  there 
he  stands  at  the  door,  and  says  he,  '  Crixey,'  says  he, 
■  you're  late — we  thought  you'd  deserted.'  4  We?  ' 
says  I,  '  Yes/  says  he,  *  the  whole  company's  up  here, 
captain  and  all,  only  he's  a  general  now;  hurry  up, 
we're  just  goin'  to  fall  in;  there  goes  the  bugle,  d'you 
hear?'  And  just  then  I  catches  a  sound,  more  like 
drummin'  than  tootlin',  and  same  time  I  feels  icy  cold 
all  over,  and  a  hand  chokes  me  by  the  throat;  and  then 
I  wakes  up  and  finds  myself  standin'  in  the  fender  with 
the  fire-tongs  across  my  toes  .  .  ." 

A  terrible  burst  of  coughing  stopped  Christopher's 
narrative,  which  had  dragged  itself  thus  far  with  many 
a  break  and  jerk  and  gasp.  Quickly  Leuw  held  up 
the  glass,  for  which  the  palsied  old  hand  was  blindly 
fumbling. 

'  If  you  say  another  word  to-night,  I'll  go  straight 
home,"  he  threatened  when  the  attack  was  over. 

'  I'm  all  right  now,  Leuw,"  replied  Christopher, 
"  it  never  comes  on  but  once  of  a  night.  And  the 
talkin'  don't  hurt.  I  sits  here  jabberin'  to  myself  like 
a  monkey  the  whole  evenin',  whether  or  no." 

Leuw  did  not  reply,  partly  to  set  Christopher  a  good 
example,  and  partly  because  at  that  moment  the  reso- 
lution, which  had  been  ripening  in  his  mind  all  day, 
attained  full  growth.  He,  however,  decided  on  not 
imparting  it  to  Christopher  till  the  morrow. 

The  old  man  seemed  right.     His  complaint  had  had 


282  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

its  way,  and  for  the  time  being,  it  appeared,  was  con- 
tent to  rest  on  its  laurels.  Christopher  appreciated 
the  relief,  and  lay  back  in  his  chair  smiling  almost 
happily  on  Leuw. 

"  I'm  going  to  read  you  the  paper,"  said  the  latter. 
"  There's  trouble  again  on  the  Indian  frontier." 

Christopher  acquiesced  eagerly,  and  Leuw  set  to 
work  on  the  penny  paper  which  he  purchased  unfail- 
ingly every  morning  on  his  way  to  the  shop;  it  made 
him  feel  every  inch  a  City  man.  Steadily  he  read  on, 
until,  casting  a  casual  glance  at  Christopher,  he  saw 
him  leaning  back  with  eyes  closed.  Leuw  continued, 
sinking  his  voice  by  degrees  so  as  not  to  come  to  an 
abrupt  stop,  which  might  have  startled  the  old  man. 
But  Christopher  was  not  dozing,  and  divining  Leuw's 
intent,  sat  up  quite  wide-awake. 

"  No,  no,"  he  said,  half  in  protest,  half  in  apology, 
"  I  was  only  thinkin'  about  something  else." 

"  I  dare  say  you've  had  enough  of  this,"  smiled 
Leuw,  folding  up  his  paper;  il  but  mind — no 
speeches." 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  exactly  how  many  words  it'll 
take  me  to  say  it  in,  but  I'll  cut  it  short  to  please  you. 
And  perhaps  I  oughtn't  to  mention  it  at  all." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Because  it's  something  about  your  people." 

"  Then  out  with  it,  by  all  means,"  said  Leuw 
jauntily.     "  We  invite  criticism,  you  know." 

'  Seems  to  me,"  said  Christopher  slowly,  "  you're 
jolly  well  stocked  with  most  things,  you  Hebrew  folk, 
but  you're  very  short  in  one." 

"And  that  is?" 

"  Sol  Myerses,  by  your  leave." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  283 

Leuw  paused  in  the  act  of  giving  his  paper  a  final 
smooth,  and  looked  intently  at  Christopher. 

"  Very  short,  indeed,"  repeated  the  latter.  "  My 
idea  would  be  to  keep  a  few  of  'em,  say  a  hundred 
thousand  or  so,  stored  up  ready  to  send  out  in  a  brace 
of  shakes  just  wherever  one  o'  you  are  gettin'  jumped 
on.  If  that  don't  stop  the  jumpin'  on,  I  don't  know 
what  will." 

Leuw  smiled  indulgently  at  Christopher's  fancy. 

"  It's  very  good  of  you  to  trouble  about  us,"  he 
said,  "  but  you  don't  quite  understand  the  situation." 

Christopher  looked  disappointed. 

'  So  you  don't  think  it  would  work?"  he  asked. 

"  Not  exactly  the  way  you  mean,"  replied  Leuw 
soberly.  "  But  there's  a  good  deal  in  what  you  say 
all  the  same. 

'  I  thought  I  wasn't  drivelin'.  You  know,  Leuw, 
I'm  feeling'  clear  in  the  head  to-night,  something  won- 
derful." 

And  Christopher  burst  into  a  hoarse  laugh,  the 
sound  of  which  did  not  at  all  accord  with  his  vaunted 
clear-headedness.     It  set  Leuw  trembling. 

"  What's  the  joke  now?  "  he  asked,  outwardly  calm. 

"  Thinkin'  of  how  the  boys  thought  Syd  Mitchell  a 
bit  of  a  wizard  all  along  o'  the  way  he  ferreted  out 
the  liquor  for  'em — that  was  one  o'  the  things  he  re- 
minded me  of  the  night  before  last." 

"  Ferreted  out  the  liquor?     Where?  when?" 

Christopher  gave  a  few  more  gurgles  ere  he  pro- 
ceeded . 

"  We'd  been  trampin'  it  through  the  snow  all  day, 
bein'  quartered  at  night,  me  and  him  and  six  more  of 
us,  in  a  little  dram-shop;  but  hanged  if  we  could  find 


284  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

dram  or  drop  or  anything  but  empty  bottles,  and  we 
wanted  a  drink,  you  bet.  Jingo!  how  we  wanted  a 
drink.  And  each  time  one  of  us  went  near  to  ask  her, 
she  snarled  and  clawed  at  us  .  .  ." 

kkWho  did?" 

"  Why,  didn't  I  tell  you?"  said  Christopher  fret- 
fully. "  She'd  been  left  behind  all  alone  by  mistake 
like — couldn't  have  been  more'n  sixteen,  and  a  regular 
wildcat  spitfire,  the  prettiest  thing  in  petticoats  I'd 
seen  since  we  left  Plymouth  harbor.  Says  Syd 
Mitchell:  *  Boys,  give  me  fightin'  room! '  And,  bless 
me,  ten  minutes  after,  the  grog  was  steamin'  our  noses 
off." 

"  Did  he  tell  you  how  he  managed  it?"  queried 
Leuw  eagerly. 

'  That  he  did;  it  all  came  out  with  the  rest  of  him 
that  night  before  Inkerman.  Seemingly  he  spotted 
by  the  looks  of  her  that  she  was  one  of  his  own  lot, 
and  he  up  and  talks  to  her  in  her  own  lingo,  and  kids 
her  that  we  was  sent  specially  to  take  all  the  Jews  to 
Palestine,  and  that  he  was  King  Solomon  come  to  life 
again,  and  if  she'd  show  him  where  they'd  hidden  the 
stuff,  he'd  make  her  his  queen  as  soon  as  he  had  a 
little  spare  time.  No  wonder  they  made  him  out  a 
wizard  .  .  ." 

The  broad  grin  on  Christopher's  face  changed  to  an 
agonized  look,  and  he  wildly  clutched  the  ledges  of 
his  chair.  So  he  remained  a  full  minute,  with  Leuw 
staring  at  him  helplessly,  and  then  the  spasm  was 
over.     But  Christopher  took  the  hint. 

"  I  think  I'll  turn  in  early  for  once,"  he  said  bravely; 
:(  and  since  you're  here,  you  might  as  well  give  me  a 
hand-up." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  285 

-When  Leuw  came  out  of  the  bedroom,  he  pretended 
to  obey  Christopher's  strict  injunction  to  go  straight 
home,  by  descending  and  slamming  the  shop  door 
from  the  inside.  Then,  taking  off  his  boots,  he  crept 
up  the  staircase,  and  sat  on  the  top  step  keeping  his 
sick-watch.  Quarter  after  quarter  chimed  from  the 
neighboring  church  clock,  until  at  half-past  one  Leuw 
could  no  longer  master  the  thought  of  his  mother's 
probable  anxiety.  The  breathing  from  the  other  side 
came  heavy,  yet  measured  and  regular.  Leuw  deemed 
he  could  safely  leave  his  post.  After  all,  in  another 
few  hours  he  could  dispose  of  this  terrible  responsi- 
bility. Inch  by  inch  he  stole  down,  and  let  himself 
out  noiselessly. 

The  next  morning  he  was  early  at  the  shop  and  not 
alone;  Mrs.  Lipcott  came  with  him.  As  Leuw  turned 
the  key  in  the  door,  his  lips  framed  into  a  smile  at  the 
jest  wherewith  he  intended  to  greet  the  invalid: 

"  Christopher,  my  mother's  downstairs  to  kidnap 
you." 

But  it  was  with  no  smile  that  he  came  bounding 
down  again. 

"  Mother,  there's  a  doctor  ten  doors  up  on  the  other 
side,"  he  gasped. 

You  go — I'll  see  to  him  upstairs,"  said  Mrs.  Lip- 
cott. 

But  Leuw  pushed  her  out  without  another  word;  if 
he  went,  it  might  save  ten  seconds,  but  the  spectacle 
upstairs  was  not  fit  for  a  woman.  Even  the  doctor 
thought  so  as  he  locked  the  bedroom  door  on  himself 
and  Leuw. 

Christopher  died  hard.  It  took  him  the  greater 
part  of  the  forenoon  to  struggle  through  the  Valley 


286  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

of  the  Shadow,  until  the  light  from  Beyond  came  to 
meet  hini,  and  woke  his  numbed  brain  into  a  last 
flicker  of  thought.  He  smiled  wanly  as  he  caught 
sight  of  Leuw  standing  close  to  the  bed  with  hard-set 
face. 

"  In  at  the  death,  eh,  Leuw?  "  he  whispered.  "  Now, 
then,  while  there's  time.  I've  got  a  favor  to  ask  you: 
I  want  you  to  let  this  here  shop  die  with  me — that'll 
sort  of  give  me  a  pal  on  the  journey,  but  what's  more, 
it's  your  own  good  I'm  thinkin'  of;  you'll  know  what 
I  mean.  Thank  you,  Leuw,  for — hullo,  what's  this, 
reveille  already?  Syd,  boy,  hurry  up  with  that  there 
pipe-clay — hurry — hurry  .  .  ." 

And  by  an  irony  of  fate  Christopher  Donaldson, 
who  had  always  taken  life  leisurely,  died  with  the  word 
of  haste  on  his  lips. 

Never  had  the  loneliness,  which  had  been  the  old 
man's  portion,  stood  out  so  glaringly  as  when  it  came 
to  paying  him  the  last  honors  on  earth.  Leuw  found 
there  was  absolutely  no  one  to  share  with  him  the 
mourning  coach  in  which  he  followed  the  hearse  to 
the  suburban  Presbyterian  cemetery,  where  Chris- 
topher had  some  ten  years  ago  purchased  the  grave 
on  the  strength  of  which  he  used  jestingly  to  call 
himself  a  landed  proprietor.  Mrs.  Lipcott  had  not 
offered  to  take  part  in  the  funeral,  because  it  is  con- 
trary to  the  practice  of  her  coreligionists  to  admit 
the  presence  of  women  at  burial  ceremonies.  And 
Leuw  had  not  insisted  on  her  company,  because 
his  solitariness  came  to  him  as  an  unspeakable  relief. 
For  once  he  could  afford  himself  the  luxury  of  giv- 
ing vent  to  the  promptings  of  his  inmost  heart.     It 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  ,  287 

made  him  feel  singularly  grateful  to  find  that  he  had 
not  outgrown  that  greatest  privilege  of  childhood,  the 
privilege  of  tears;  and,  indeed,  as  he  huddled  back 
into  the  furthermost  corner  of  the  coach,  his  hands  to 
his  face,  he  wondered  if  ever  again  he  would  imagine 
himself  so  vividly  the  little  knickerbockered  lad  who 
had  followed  his  father  on  the  same  errand — God,  how 
long  ago  it  all  seemed! 

By  the  time  the  little  cemetery  chapel  was  reached, 
Leuw  had  drilled  himself  back  into  something  like  his 
usual  demeanor.  Reverently  he  listened  to  the  un- 
familiar text  of  the  burial  service.  The  officiating 
clergyman,  droning  out  the  sentences  with  the  apathy 
of  stale  habit,  had  no  idea  of  the  inspiriting  object- 
lesson  by  which  he  might  have  enriched  his  soul,  had 
he  known  or  cared.  There  stood  the  Jew,  heart- 
broken and  desolate  at  the  bier  of  his  friend,  the  Gen- 
tile, as  though  the  history  of  mankind  were  unsullied 
by  the  red  hand  of  race-hatred,  by  the  internecine 
warfare  of  creeds,  giving  earnest,  by  mean  and  lowly 
example,  that  the  primordial  instincts  of  man  would 
yet  assert  themselves  and  tread  under  heel  the  artificial 
distinctions  between  phylactery  and  crucifix.  Here 
it  was  to  be  seen  how  Hebrew  and  Christian,  differ- 
ing from  one  another  in  all  the  degrees  along  the  scale 
of  human  disparity,  could  become  as  David  and 
Jonathan,  and  shame  into  silence  the  lying  prophets 
who  cried  out  against  the  millennial  brotherhood  of  the 
peoples  when  the  trespass  of  Cain  will  be  redeemed 
in  God's  good  time.  Such  object-lessons  are  haply 
to  be  learnt  every  hour  of  the  day,  if  the  world  would 
but  dash  from  its  eyes  the  films  of  purblindness,  which 
will  not  let  it  see  that,  fust  as  it  has  made  itself  its  own 
purgatory,  so  it  can  fashion  itself  into  its  own  heaven. 


288  •     SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"Thud — thud — thud,"  went  the  clods  of  earth  on  the 
coffin-lid,  reminding  Leuw.  of  the  thump  of  Chris- 
topher's wooden  leg;  but  he  shook  off  the  fancy 
hastily.  Not  with  such  outward  tokens  would  he 
associate  the  memory  of  his  dear,  dead  friend;  Chris- 
topher's memory  would  never  require  any  token  of 
sound  or  sight.  Even  long  before  he  had  died,  the 
old  man  had  become  to  Leuw  a  symbol,  an  emblematic 
presence,  permeating  his  whole  future  and  embodying 
itself  only  in  worthy  thought,  in  generous  deed.  And 
so  the  truest  memorial  he  could  raise  to  the  man  who 
was  to  him  the  largest  creditor  for  whom  his  career 
would  ever  find  room,  was  in  the  shape  and  substance 
of  his  own  life.  And  thereby  Leuw  was  conscious  he 
had  set  himself  the  highest  standard  of  action  to 
which  he  could  possibly  reach.  The  effect  was  recip- 
rocal, too.  So  long  as  he  remembered  Christopher, 
he  would  be  sure  of  himself;  and  it  was  without  any 
qualm  of  self-belief  that  he  thought  of  the  legend 
which  the  tombstone  was  to  bear: 

"  Christopher    Donaldson.     Unforgettable." 

There  he  is,  put  away  nice  and  warm,  sir,"  said 
one  of  the  grave-diggers  with  an  expectant  leer. 

Leuw  shook  himself  back  into  his  surroundings, 
handed  the  man  some  silver,  and  walked  slowly  away 
to  the  railway  station  close  by.  He  had  told  the  coach 
not  to  wait  for  him;  he  dreaded  the  numbing  influence 
of  the  cushions  on  his  brain,  which  had  not  rested  in 
slumber  for  the  last  two  nights.  He  did  not  want  to 
sleep;  he  wanted  to  be  wide-awake;  he  had  to  be.  For 
he  was  just  about  to  put  his  hand  on  the  pivot  of  his 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  289 

life,  and  the  question  at  issue  was  whether  or  not  he 
was  to  give  it  its  most  decisive  twist.  "  Let  the  shop 
die  with  me — you'll  know  what  I  mean."  The  old 
man  had  asked  it  as  a  favor.  Yes,  Leuw  understood 
what  he  meant.  So,  after  all,  the  blurred  old  eyes 
had  been  keen  enough  to  sight  the  restlessness  Leuw 
thought  he  had  so  skilfully  kept  under  cover;  and  the 
favor  the  dead  man  had  conditioned  for  himself — sel- 
fishly, as  it  would  appear  at  first  blush — was  nothing 
but  one  last  loving  forethought  for  Leuw's  own  wel- 
fare. Thus  Leuw  construed  it,  and  rightly  from  his 
own  point  of  view.  But  for  Christopher's  definite 
injunction  Leuw  would  have  felt  compelled,  as  a 
mere  matter  of  piety,  to  keep  within  the  constraint  of 
the  shop's  premises.  And  how  he  would  have  en- 
dured that,  even  only  for  another  year  or  two,  he  trem- 
bled to  think  of;  and  perhaps  by  the  time  he  had,  to 
his  own  satisfaction,  fulfilled  his  tribute  of  obligation, 
his  energies  might  have  become  crippled  irreparably. 

What,  however,  told  most  with  him  was  that  Chris- 
topher's death  should  have  made  him  master  of  him- 
self just  at  the  moment  when  his  desire  to  march  at 
his  own  pace  had  almost  developed  into  a  frenzy. 

As  a  steady  background  to  the  unwonted  sensations 
of  the  last  few  days  had  stood  out  his  recollection  of 
the  big  house  in  St.  John's  Wood.  Occasionally  it 
had  even  come  between  himself  and  his  sorrow  for 
Christopher;  he  had  thrust  it  away  angrily,  but  it 
would  not  be  denied.  And  he  knew  why.  The  big 
house  represented  to  him  the  little  girl  who  lived 
therein,  and  who — through  his  own  doing,  he  ad- 
mitted— had  transformed  herself  into  the  criterion  of 
his  success.     And  measured  by  that  rule,  he  had  fallen 

19 


590 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


lamentably  short;  he  had  achieved  nothing,  or  little 
more.  Ever  since  his  visit  the  other  night,  he  had 
been  put  totally  out  of  conceit  with  his  present  mode 
of  "  getting  on."  If  he  continued  thus  heaping  sand- 
grain  on  sand-grain,  how  long  would  it  take  him  to 
pile  up  a  house  half  as  big?  Years  and  years  and 
years ;  and  meantime  the  little  girl  would  grow  up  into 
a  woman — she  was  doing  it  now — and  there  were 
other  men  about  whose  fathers  had  done  all  the  grain- 
heaping  for  them,  and  one  of  them  .  .  .  Leuw 
clenched  his  fists.  Christopher's  last  words  on  earth 
came  back  to  him:  "hurry  up — hurry — hurry."  At 
last  he  had  found  the  true  key-note  of  his  life — the 
wheels  of  the  jolting,  stampeding  train  were  thunder- 
ing them  into  his  soul — "  hurry  up— hurry— hurry." 
Yes,  yes,  he  would  hurry  up.  But  not  here — not  here, 
in  the  weary  old  land,  effete  with  the  travail  of  bring- 
ing forth  millions  to  her  exploiters,  but  away  in  the 
distant  wonderland,  where,  from  all  accounts,  For- 
tune sat  on  a*  throne  of  gold,  flinging'her  richest  prizes 
to  those  who  knew  how  to  wheedle  her  into  a  smile. 
He  would  not  wheedle  her;  he  would  stand  before  her, 
asking  for  the  hire  clue  to  him  who  worked  honestly 
with  his  shirt-sleeves  rolled  up,  with  no  legerdemain, 
no  trickery.  .  .  .  "  Hurry  up — hurry — hurry,"  thun- 
dered the  train;  "  hurry  up,  hurry,  hurry,"  echoed  his 
soul. 

Leuw  went  straight  home.  The  shop,  of  course, 
was  closed.  It  was  to  know  that  the  senior  member 
of  the  firm  of  Donaldson  &  Lipcott  was  dead;  and 
that  would  prepare  it  for  the  more  momentous  changes 
that  it  was  to  undergo. 

Lovingly  Mrs.  Lipcott  stroked  her  son's  cheek;  the 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  291 

caress  seemed  to  put  a  noose  about  his  heart  that 
choked  it.     She  misunderstood  his  silence. 

■  Don't  grieve  so,"  she  said.     "  Was  he  ever  hap- 
pier than  he  is  now?     Don't  grudge  him  it." 

Leuw's  voice  at  last  forced  itself  passage. 
"  Mother,"  he  said,  looking  at  her,  "  you  ask  me  to  be 
strong.     I'm  going  to  ask  you  to  be  strong  yourself." 

Mrs.  Lipcott  grew  pale,  but  she  smiled  nevertheless. 
"  Strong  for  what,  Leuw?  " 

"  To  bear  my  going  away  from  you." 

"  For  long? '  How  pitifully  the  words  pretended 
to  appear  steady. 

'  I  don't  know,  mother.  For  years,  perhaps,  but  I 
promise  you  I  shall  make  them  as  few  as  possible." 

It  was  Leuw  who  had  to  resume  the  conversation. 
"  I'm  a  brute,  mother;  I  ought  not  to  have  sprung  it 
on  you  so  suddenly." 

'  Make  your  mind  easy  on  that,  Leuw,"  replied  Mrs. 
Lipcott;  "  it's  no  surprise  for  me.     I  was  prepared." 

"  Prepared?"  echoed  Leuw,  astonished. 

"  Yes,  Leuw.  I  was  getting  too  happy,  and  I  felt 
I  had  to  take  some  precaution — in  case,  you  know. 
And  your  going  away  was  the  very  idea  I  hit  on  for 
my  special  bogy.  Every  night,  as  I  went  to  bed,  I 
thought  to  myself:  'To-morrow  Leuw  may  be  saying 
good-by.'  And  that's  why  it  doesn't  come  the  least 
bit  unexpected  to  me." 

You  expected  it,  because  it  was  the  very  thing  you 
wished  wouldn't  turn  out  true,"  said  Leuw  sadly;  "  but 
in  any  case  I  did  wrong.  I  ought  at  least  to  have  paid 
you  the  compliment  of  asking  you  before  I  made  up 
my  mind." 

"  I'm  glad  you  weren't  so  foolish  as  to  play  the 


292 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 


hypocrite  to  me,  Leuw.  What  could  I  have  answered? 
You  would  only  have  appeared  a  good  son  at  the  ex- 
pense of  making  me  out  a  bad  mother.  You  know 
nothing  would  have  stopped  you." 

"  I  am  afraid  not.  I  want  to  go.  I  must  go.  The 
whole  world  seems  to  be  shouting  at  me:  '  South 
Africa.'  " 

"  And  when  do  you  start?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  I  must  sell  the  shop  first;  and 
then — the  sooner  I  am  off  the  sooner  I  shall  return." 

"  Yes,  that's  true — the  sooner  he  will  return,"  said 
Mrs.  Lipcott  half  to  herself,  her  hands  working  ner- 
vously, as  though  to  drag  the  distant  day  nearer. 

"  Speak  up,  mother,"  cried  Leuw  vehemently ;  "  say 
everything  you  want  to  say,  and  make  things  as  hard 
for  me  as  you  can.     I  don't  deserve  any  better." 

"  All  right,  then — I'll  take  you  at  your  word, 
Leuw,"  replied  Mrs.  Lipcott,  smiling  mistily;  "I'll 
punish  you  by  humbling  your  pride  a  little.  I'm  not 
a  bit  sorry  you're  going — not  the  least  little  atom,  so 
there." 

"  For  God's  sake,  mother,  don't  smile  like  that;  you 
don't  know  how  you're  hurting  me,"  said  Leuw  with 
a  gulp. 

The  gulp  was  contagious;  it  developed  into  a  sob, 
and  the  sob  into  something  more.  And  then  Leuw 
was  satisfied,  for  his  mother's  tears  were  the  sanction 
and  the  blessing  without  which  he  would  not  have 
dared  to  go  forth  on  his  enterprise. 

The  negotiations  for  the  sale  of  the  shop  kept  Leuw 
somewhat  longer  than  he  had  anticipated.  Offers 
came  in  numerously  enough,  but  he  stood  hard  on  his 
bargain,  not  so  much  as  a  commercial  deal,  but  be- 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  293 

cause  he  was  eager  to  make  the  best  provision  possi- 
ble for  his  mother.  After  two  weeks  he  succeeded 
in  obtaining  his  figure;  the  same  morning  he  went 
and  booked  his  passage  on  the  steamer  leaving  the 
following  Saturday. 

The  sale  of  the  shop-fixtures,  stock,  and  good-will, 
realized  for  Leuw  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  In 
addition  to  this  there  was  the  eighty  odd  pounds  he 
had  saved  up  in  the  bank.  Of  Christopher's  private 
belongings  in  the  way  of  furniture  Leuw  only  reserved 
for  himself  the  arm-chair  and  the  tools  with  which  the 
old  man  had  worked;  the  rest  was  mere  lumber,  fit  at 
best  for  firewood.  But  Christopher  had  left  behind 
something  more  valuable,  an  investment  producing 
forty  pounds  annually.  He  had  made  this  over  to 
Leuw  already  during  his  lifetime,  about  a  year  ago, 
when  the  first  of  his  subsequent  attacks  had  warned 
him  of  the  beginning  of  the  end.  Leuw  had  taken  it, 
and  had  spent  every  penny  of  the  first  yearly  payment, 
and  something  more  from  his  own  account,  in  defray- 
ing the  expenses  of  the  medical  attendance  and  nour- 
ishment which  Christopher  would  otherwise  have 
grudged  himself; 

The  income  of  the  investment  Leuw,  of  course,  set 
aside  for  his  mother;  it  would  pay  comfortably  for  the 
rent  of  the  house.  Leuw  would  not  hear  of  Mrs.  Lip- 
cott's  suggestion  to  give  it  up  and  remove  into  lodg- 
ings ;  he  knew  how  dear  the  new  menage  had  become 
to  her  heart,  and  what  a  wrench  it  would  be  to  her  to 
resign  it.  Of  the  three  hundred  and  thirty-five 
pounds  derived  from  the  shop  and  his  savings,  he 
apportioned  to  her  two  hundred,  which  ought  to  main- 
tain her  easily  for  the  next  two  years.     And  if  by  the 


294 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


time  she  had  reached  the  end  of  her  resources  Leuw 
was  unable  to — but  there  was  no  question  of  that.  It 
never  struck  Mrs.  Lipcott  that  Leuw  was  putting  her 
to  the  risk  of  a  serious  speculation;  and  Leuw  himself 
could  desire  no  stronger  guarantee  for  the  success  of 
his  venture  than  the  calm  and  utter  confidence  with 
which  his  mother  looked  forward  to  its  issue.  It  was 
not  till  all  his  arrangements  had  been  completed  in 
detail  that  Leuw  wrote  to  inform  Phil  of  his  intention. 

"  Now,  mind,  Phil,"  ended  up  the  letter,  "  I  particu- 
larly want  you  to  notice  this:  don't  interrupt  your- 
self and  come  rushing  up  to  town  to  see  me  of!  and 
all  that  sort  of  thing.  It  isn't  necessary.  What  we 
said  the  night  we  took  leave  of  each  other  at  Mrs. 
Duveen's  house  will  hold  good,  although  we  may  be 
separated  much  longer  than  we  then  thought.  I 
should  have  nothing  to  add  to  it,  and  I  am  sure  you 
neither.     Yours  fraternally,  Leuw." 

Phil  honored  his  brother's  request,  because  he  sus- 
pected the  chief  motive  of  it  was  Leuw's  tension  of 
feelings,  which  he  was  unwilling  to  increase  by  the 
strain  of  another  parting;  and,  indeed,  Phil  himself 
felt  that  another  parting  would  be  something  of  an 
anti-climax.  The  words  they  had  addressed  to  each 
other  that  evening  were  instinct  with  a  significance 
which  it  would  be  sacrilege  to  cheapen  by  repetition. 
So  Phil,  in  his  reply,  eschewed  the  emotional  side  of 
the  question  for  the  practical,  and  devoted  his  letter 
mainly  to  expressing  his  approval  of  Leuw's  resolu- 
tion. The  one  touch  of  sentiment  in  it  was  his  assur- 
ance that,  as  far  as  he  was  concerned,  their  mother 
would  not  be  allowed  to  forget  for  an  instant  that  she 
had  two  sons. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  295 

Immediately  on  receipt  of  Phil's  letter,  Leuw 
penned  a  note  to  Mrs.  Duveen  asking  when  he  might 
come  to  make  his  adieux.  The  reply  came  the  same 
evening  in  the  shape  of  Mrs.  Duveen  and  Dulcie.  Mrs. 
Lipcott  was  a  little  mystified  by  the  apprehension  to 
be  read  in  Mrs.  Duveen's  face.  Leuw  saw  nothing  of 
it,  but  to  him  the  questioning  dismay  in  Dulcie's  eyes 
was  unmistakable.  Was  it — his  heart  leaped  at  the 
thought — for  the  reason  he  desired?  In  answer  to 
Mrs.  Duveen's  questions,  Leuw  gave  an  account  of 
the  events  which  induced  him  to  go  abroad,  of  course, 
only  the  events  which  he  could  divulge  without  allow- 
ing an  insight  into  the  inner  machinery  of  his  motives. 

Mrs^  Duveen  listened  with  a  despondency  which 
even  Leuw  could  not  help  noticing.  It  surprised  and 
touched  him. 

"  And  you  have  quite  made  up  your  mind?  '  she 
asked  finally. 

"  Quite.  Mother  and  I  are  fully  agreed,"  replied 
Leuw. 

Mrs.  Duveen  turned  resolutely  to  Mrs.  Lipcott. 
"Won't  you  show  me  over  your  house,  Dinah?"  she 
asked. 

'  There  is  absolutely  nothing  in  it  for  you  to  see," 
replied  Mrs.  Lipcott  a  little  disconcerted. 

"  Everything  that  is  yours  interests  me,"  said  Mrs. 
Duveen.     "  Come." 

Then  Mrs.  Lipcott's  woman's  wit  asserted  itself. 
She  took  Mrs.  Duveen  to  her  bedroom. 

"  What  do  you  want  to  tell  me,  Rose?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  thought  you  would  catch  my  meaning,"  said 
Mrs.  Duveen  feverishly.  "  I  want  to  tell  you  that 
we  made  no  allowance  for  this." 


296  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"For  what?" 

"  For  Leuw's  leaving  you/' 

"  But  I  don't  see—" 

"  Yes,  you  do,  only  you  are  too  large-hearted  to  say 
so.  You  know  that  Leuw's  going  away  must  make 
a  difference  in  the  arrangements  we  have  come  to  con- 
cerning Phil." 

"  But  you  are  mistaken,  Rose." 

"  No,  Dinah,  I  am  not.  You  are  going  to  be  very 
lonely,  and  you  surely  don't  think  I  shall  be  so  wicked 
as  to  keep  from  you,  for  my  own  benefit,  the  one  on 
whom  you  have  a  claim  to  relieve  your  loneliness." 

Mrs.  Lipcott  shook  her  head  obstinately.  *  And 
again  I  say  you  are  wrong.  One  of  my  sons  could 
never  make  up  for  the  other,  either  in  my  eyes  or  in 
my  heart.  Each  of  them  has  his  proper  place  there, 
and  that  he  shall  keep — anything  else  would  not  be 
fair  to  the  other.  If  Phil  came  back  to  me  here,  it 
would  only  remind  me  too  strongly  that  Leuw  is 
away.  Believe  me,  dear,  I  am  not  afraid  of  being 
alone;  I  shall  have  such  pleasant  thoughts  to  keep  me 
company.     And,  besides,  you  see,  there  is  the  future." 

"  Which  has  helped  many  a  weary  soul  over  the 
present,"  murmured  Mrs.  Duveen  to  herself.  "  Dinah, 
one  last  question:     Are  you  sure  of  yourself? '' 

"  Quite." 

'  And  you  will  tell  me  any  moment  you  begin  to 
have  the  slightest  pang  of  doubt?" 

"  Yes,  I  shall  tell  you." 

'  Dinah,"  went  on  Mrs.  Duveen  eagerly,  "  I  have  a 
suggestion  on  the  tip  of  my  tongue,  but  I  know  better 
than   to   make   it  outright ;   one   learns   to  know  the 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  297 

parents  best  through  their  children.  But  I  shall  hint 
at  it.  You  have  a  home  of  your  own;  keep  it.  But 
my  home  is  yours  as  often  as  you  want  to  make  it  so. 
Will  you  remember?  " 

"  I  shall  remember,  Rose." 

"  And  do  more  than  remember,  I  adjure  you, 
Dinah.  Whenever  I  shall  look  at  Phil,  I  shall  think 
of  you  sitting  here,  hugging  your  thoughts  to  your- 
self. And  you  know  how  I  shall  feel.  Promise  you 
will  be  very  good  to  me." 

And  Mrs.  Lipcott  promised  gladly — for  her  own 
sake  more  than  the  other's.  True,  she  could  have  her 
thoughts  for  companions  whenever  she  chose;  but 
could  she  be  sure  they  would  always  look  at  her  with 
smiling  faces? 

"  Think  you'll  be  away  lon'g? '  Dulcie  had  started 
the  conversation  downstairs. 

"  Can't  say  at  all.  I  dare  say  I'll  stop  there  till  I've 
made  it  worth  my  while  going  out." 

"  And  won't  you  be  afraid  to  live  among  those 
strange  people?  Ma  says  they're  black,  most  of 
them." 

4  Oh,  I  don't  mind  the  color.  I'll  pretend  to  myself 
they're  all  chimney-sweeps." 

"Now,  please,  I  won't  be  talked  to  like  a  baby.  You 
answer  me  properly  or  not  at  all." 

■  Well,  if  you  want  to  know,  I  am  a  bit  afraid — not 
of  the  blacks,  though.  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to 
do  such  a  tremendous  lot  out  there,  and  what  I'm 
afraid  of  is  that  I  may  be  disappointed." 

'  I  should  be  disappointed,  too,"  slipped  from 
Dulcie. 


298  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  What's  that?  "  asked  Leuw  eagerly. 

"  Never  mind/'  said  Dulcie  flushing.  "  What  does 
Phil  say  about  it?     Is  he  coming  to  see  you  off? ': 

Leuw  answered  briefly,  wishing  all  the  time  he  had 
insisted  on  assuring  himself  that  he  had  heard  her 
aright. 

"  Now,  you've  asked  me  a  lot  of  questions,"  he 
went  on.     "  Suppose  I  ask  you  one  for  a  change?  ' 

"  As  many  as  you  like." 

"  No,  only  one.     Are  you  sorry  I'm  going  away?  ' 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Dulcie,  gazing  past  him. 

"  You  ought  to  be ;  you've  got  something  to  do 
with  it." 

Dulcie  looked  blank  astonishment.  "  I  don't  un- 
derstand." 

"  You're  used  to  softer  chairs  than  the  one  you're 
sitting  on,  aren't  you?  " 

"  Yes,  ours  are  much  softer.  But  why  don't  you  ex- 
plain?" 

"  I  have  explained." 

"  You  haven't.     You  said  something  about  chairs." 

"  That's  the  explanation,"  returned  Leuw  dog- 
gedly. "  You'll  see  it  right  enough — in  a  year  or  two, 
if  you  haven't  forgotten  me  by  then.  And  talking  of 
forgetting  reminds  me  of  something,"  he  went  on  in 
trepidation,  for  the  main  business  of  the  evening  was 
yet  to  be  transacted,  and  their  tctc-a-tctc  might  be  in- 
terrupted any  moment.  "  I  say,  do  you  know  what 
this  is?" 

Dulcie,  utterly  confused  by  Leuw's  excited  manner 
and  his  rapid  change  of  subject,  stared  in  perplexity  at 
the  scrap  of  paper  he  held  out  to  her. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  299 

"  I  am  very  sorry  I  made  you  hold  my  hand — "  she 

read  aloud,  breaking  off  with   a  shamefaced  laugh. 

'  Why,  that's  the  note  I   sent  you  after  we  fetched 

Phil.     Fancy  your  keeping  it  all  this  time;  I  should 

never  have  believed  I  ever  wrote  so  badly." 

"  If  I  give  it  back  to  you,  will  you  let  me  have  an- 
other one  instead?'  asked  Leuw  hoarsely.  'Out 
there,  you  know." 

"  I  must  ask  ma  first,"  said  Dulcie  softly,  "  but  I 
don't  suppose  she'll  object.  Of  course,  you'll  write 
first." 

"  Let's  shake  hands  on  that." 

Dulcie  complied  readily.  "  Why,  yours  is  trem- 
bling," she  said. 

"  Not  a  bit — you're  only  squeezing  all  the  fright  out 
of  me,"  laughed  Leuw  buoyantly. 

The  laugh  echoed  in  Leuw's  heart,  and  shone  out 
upon  his  face  the  whole  of  the  two  days  remaining  be- 
tween him  and  his  departure.  His  cheerfulness  in- 
fected Mrs.  Lipcott,  and  converted  the  trying  sus- 
pense of  the  interval  into  something  like  joyous  an- 
ticipation. The  talk  was  not  of  Leuw's  going,  but  of 
his  coming.  Leuw  had  a  hard  struggle  to  keep  him- 
self from  blurting  out  to  his  mother  the  secret  which 
he  was  taking  with  him  as  his  most  precious  equip- 
ment on  his  enterprise.  He  was  going  to  keep  in 
touch  with  Dulcie;  he  would  have  access  to  her 
thoughts,  he  had  the  certainty  that  he  would  not  be 
cast  out  and  forgotten.  He  felt  a  sincere  pity  for  the 
obstacles  which  would  be  unfortunate  enough  to  come 
into  his  path;  they  were  going  to  have  a  very  hard 
time  of  it. 


3oo 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 


Leuw  had  made  up  his  mind  to  pay  no  farewell 
calls;  that  was  a  courtesy  which  he  accorded  only  to 
the  dead — his  father  and  Christopher.  But  chance 
threw  him  into  the  way  of  bidding  good-by  to  at  least 
one  acquaintance — -just  the  one  whom,  if  he  had  had 
his  choice,  he  would  have  wished  to  see  before  all 
others.  On  the  Friday  morning,  as  he  was  making 
his  final  purchases,  he  encountered  Yellow  Joe. 

"  It's  all  right — I'm  keeping  'em  up,  figures  and 
handwriting,"  said  the  latter,  hastening  to  forestall 
Leuw's   customary  admonition. 

Leuw  smiled  a  little,  but  immediately  became  grave 
again.  "  I'm  very  sorry,  Joe,  but  you'll  think  I've 
been  hoaxing  you.  Do  you  know  what  I  meant  by 
asking  you  to  keep  them  up?  I  knew  that  sooner  or 
later  I  should  want  an  assistant  in  my  shop,  and  I 
thought  I  couldn't  do  better  than  have  you." 

"  And  now?"  asked  Joe,  pale  with  eagerness. 

"  I  haven't  got  a  shop  any  more.  I've  given  it  up. 
To-morrow  I  leave  for  South  Africa.*' 

"Yes,  but  you're  coming  back,  aren't  you?' 

"  Please  God, ,  I  am." 

"  Well,  then,  I'll  wait  for  you,  if  you  don't  mind. 
You're  the  safest  card  to  bet  on  that  I  know  of." 

"  Thank  you,  Joe.  But  in  the  meantime  you'll  have 
a  try  yourself,  of  course." 

"  I  shan't  get  rusty.  I've  got  to  keep  myself  in 
good  working  trim  for  you,  haven't  I?' 

The  steamer  would  not  leave  till  Saturday  about 
midday,  but  Leuw  was  to  start  off  from  London  that 
afternoon,  so  as  not  to  profane  the  Sabbath  by  the 
train-journey  to  Southampton.  Mrs.  Lipcott  wished 
it  so. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  301 

"  Keep  God's  Law  as  long  as  you  can,"  she  said, 
"  afterward  you  must  deal  with  Him  your  own  way." 

"  I  have  thought  of  that  already,"  said  Leuw.  "  But 
I  don't  mind  dealing  with  God.  He  allows  liberal 
discount." 

Mrs.  Lipcott  had  some  little  difficulty  in  obtaining 
Leuw's  consent  to  accompany  him  to  Waterloo  Sta- 
tion; but  for  the  first  time  since  many  years  she  mus- 
tered up  firmness  enough  to  make  her  will  prevail. 

"Are  you  afraid  I'll  make  a  scene?"  she  asked  re- 
proachfully. 

"  I  want  to  spare  your  feelings,  that's  all;  people 
will  be  looking,"  replied  Leuw. 

The  cab  was  at  the  door.  Leuw  arose  from  the 
meal  he  had  been  trying  in  vain  to  do  justice  to,  and 
looked  round  him  leisurely. 

"  I  don't  think  I've  forgotten  anything,"  he  said 
with  as  much  composure  as  if  he  expected  to  be  back 
that  evening. 

Mrs.  Lipcott  was  true  to  her  word.  She  did  not 
make  a  scene. 

"  Mother,"  said  Leuw,  as  the  third  signal  bell  went. 

"  My  son — my  son,"  murmured  Mrs.  Lipcott.  A 
burning  kiss,  and  that  was  all. 

"What  would  you  like  best  to-night?"  Leuw  had 
asked  his  mother  as  they  sat  in  the  cab. 

"  A  message  from  you,"  she  had  replied. 
You  shall  have  it,"  Leuw  had  promised  her;  "it 
will  be  home  before  you." 

And  when  Mrs.  Lipcott  got  back,  and  was  about  to 
transfer  the  silver  candlesticks  from  the  mantle-piece 
to  the  table,  she  found  beneath  them  the  letter  Leuw 


2,02 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT 


had  written  the  night  before,  and  had  hidden  where 
she  was  most  likely  to  find  it.  He  said  but  little;  still 
that  little  was  a  good  deal  more  than  his  somewhat 
niggardly  tongue  could  ever  have  got  itself  to  dispense 
of  his  heart's  overflow.  And  as  Mrs.  Lipcott  read, 
the  two  candle-lights  gloried  out,  through  the  blur 
over  her  eyes,  into  a  score  of  stately,  flaming  aureoles. 


PART  III 


CHAPTER  XXI 

In  Rupert  Street,  East  London,  are  situate  the  model 
dwellings  which  practically  pioneered  the  movement 
for  better  poor-housing  in  the  metropolis.  Of  the 
flats  contained  in  the  buildings,  that  on  the  ground 
floor  of  Block  A  was  an  easy  first  in  the  matter  of  its 
appointments;  the  numerous  signs  of  comfort  and  re- 
finement showed  at  a  glance  that  the  occupant  had 
taken  up  his  abode  amid  the  squalid  surroundings 
more  from  choice  than  necessity.  The  occupant  was 
Phil.  He  was  sitting,  this  November  evening,  gaz- 
ing pensively  into  the  fire;  he  had  done  so  for  the 
last  half-hour.  At  last  he  yawned,  stretched  himself, 
and  looked  at  his  watch. 

"  By  Jove,  only  six  o'clock,"  he  said  to  himself. 
"  Another  hour  to  kill  before  I  take  my  classes.  But 
how?" 

He  reflected  for  a  moment,  and  his  face  lit  up. 
"That's  it — let  us  read  in  the  Book  of  Chronicles." 
He  went  to  his  writing  desk,  unlocked  it,  and  pro- 
duced a  number  of  diary  volumes.  He  opened  that 
marked  One,  and  looked  at  the  date  of  the  first  entry. 

"Goodness  me,"  he  mused,  with  a  start;  "eight  years 
and  more  since  I  went  up  to  Cambridge!  And  if  so, 
will  somebody  please  tell  me  what  has  become  of  those 


304 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


eight  years?  But  I  suppose  diary  will  know.  So  here 
goes." 

He  turned  a  page  or  two,  and  then  his  glance  fell 
on  an  entry,  and  he  smiled. 

"  October  ioth,"  he  read.  "  My  first  adventure  up 
here.  Was  saying  my  morning  prayers  when  Mrs. 
Hall,  the  bedmaker,  glides  in — she  always  glides — to 
lay  breakfast.  She  sees  the  phylactery  strips  round 
my  head  and  arms,  gives  a  yell,  and  does  considerably 
more  than  glide  out.  For  a  moment,  I  am  as  startled 
as  she,  till  I  recollect.  I  finish  prayers,  and  go  to  her 
and  explain.  She  was  not  surprised  to  hear  I  was  a 
Jew;  in  fact,  she  admitted  she  always  thought  I  was  a 
heathen  of  some  sort,  because  I  was  not  required  to 
keep  chapels.  As  to  the  incident  this  morning,  her 
first  impression  had  been — as  I  am  informed  by 
Broughton,  who  keeps  on  my  staircase — 4  that  the 
poor  young  gentleman  had  gone  balmy,  and  was  play- 
ing at  gee-gee  with  himself/  " 

"  Oct.  1 2th.  On  coming  home  this  evening  find  my 
rooms  badly  '  ragged.'  Sit  down  there  and  then,  and 
pour  out  the  vials  of  my  wrath  in  verse.  Take  the 
thing  down  to  the  porter's  lodge  and  pin  it  to  notice- 
board." 

"  Oct.  13th.  Porter's  lodge  besieged  all  day  by  men 
reading  my  skit.  Among  them  Edwards,  who  edits 
1  Cantabrian.'  Comes  to  my  rooms  for  permission 
to  let  it  go  into  next  number.     Give  it,  of  course." 

"  Oct.  15th.  '  The  Raggers  '  has  caught  on.  Every- 
body talking  about  it.  Overhead  in  the  reading-room 
of  the  'Union'  and  elsewhere:  'Who  is  this  P. 
L.-D?'  'Young  cub  of  a  Trinity  Fresher,  I  under- 
stand.'    'Jove,     isn't     he     a     corker?'     '  Rippingest 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  305 

thing  since  Calverly.'  '  Take  jolly  good  care  not  to 
tread  on  his  corns/  etc.,  etc.  In  the  evening  the 
'  Raggers  '  come  in  a  body  to  offer  apologies.  In- 
sist on  my  accepting  a  case  of  whiskey  in  exchange 
for  the  bottle  they  smashed.  I  insist  on  their  stay- 
ing to  sample  it.     A  merry  evening." 

'  Oct.  20th.  Make  my  first  speech  at  the  '  Union.' 
Sit  down  on  reaching  time-limit.  House  yells  at  me 
to  get  up  and  resume.  Do  so,  and  for  the  joke  of  the 
thing  pulverize  my  own  arguments.  Am  making 
more  acquaintances  than  I  shall  know  what  to  do 
with." 

'  Oct.  24th.  To-day  was  my  third  Saturday  up  here. 
All  day  I  felt  ill  at  ease,  uncomfortable — much  more 
so  than  I  had  done  on  each  of  the  two  previous  Satur- 
days. In  my  heart  there  was  a  sense  of  something 
lacking.  After  lunch  I  went  out  for  a  walk,  refusing 
several  offers  of  company.  I  wanted  solitude  to  puz- 
zle the  thing  out.  Succeeded.  I  was  discontented, 
because,  save  for  an  additional  prayer  or  two,  I  had  let 
the  Sabbath  go  without  some  distinctive  mark  upon  it 
— had  let  it  get  lost  in  the  crowding  routine  of  the 
week.  The  evil  having  been  discovered,  the  remedy 
required  no  searching.  I  am  not  accustomed  to  pray- 
ing alone  on  the  Sabbath;  my  thoughts  seemed  to 
have  taken  to  themselves  a  voice  that  cried  in  the 
wilderness.  I  miss  the  inspiriting  contact  of  the  con- 
gregation. Why  should  there  be  no  congregation 
here?  I  hurry  home  and  glance  down  the  list  of 
University  residents;  it  contains  scores  of  names  with 
a  Jewish  ring — ample  material  for  achieving  my  pro- 
ject. To-morrow  is  Sunday — the  conventional  visit- 
ing day.  I  determine  to  set  at  defiance  the  stiff  aca- 
20 


3o6  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

demic  etiquette,  which  does  not  permit  the  first-year 
man  to  call  on  his  seniors  without  having  been  called 
on  first,  and  make  a  round  of  personal  calls/' 

"  Oct.  25th.  A  most  fatiguing  day;  climbed  more 
staircases  than  would  cover  the  distance  to  the  top 
of  Snowdon.  Result,  on  the  whole,  satisfactory.  A 
tremendous  disappointment  met  me  at  the  outset.  My 
first  half-a-dozen  calls  convinced  me  of  what  I  had 
lost  sight  of  in  my  eagerness,  that  a  large  percentage 
of  Jewish-looking  names  belonged  to  Welshmen.  One 
of  them,  the  captain  of  the  '  Rugger  '  football  team, 
pointed  this  fact  out  to  me  with  more  than  necessary 
emphasis  of  diction.  Another  was  the  secretary  of 
the  '  'Varsity  '  branch  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association.  He  gave  me  a  hearty  welcome,  guessing 
in  me  a  recruit.  After  the  first  shock  of  the  surprise 
on  hearing  of  my  errand,  he  redoubled  his  cordiality. 
He  said  it  was  the  finger  of  God  which  had  guided  me 
there — the  straying  sheep  to  the  fold.  I  controverted 
him  with  the  earnestness  of  conviction  which  his  own 
sincerity  deserved.  A  fine,  manly  fellow.  The  almost 
pathetic  look  he  gave  me  as  I  declined  his  invitation  to 
attend  their  service  that  evening  touched  me  to  the 
heart.  Then  I  had  four  strokes  of  good  fortune  in 
rapid  succession.  In  each  case  I  found  a  coreligion- 
ist eager  to  give  his  co-operation  to  the  scheme. 
None  of  them,  I  found,  conform  to  the  outward  ob- 
servances of  our  faith,  but  their  racial  emotions  are 
clamoring  for  expression;  for  the  time  being  I  felt 
like  an  apostle.  I  convened  them,  with  two  others 
I  came  across  later  on,  to  my  rooms  this  evening, 
and  the  Cambridge  Hebrew  Congregation  has  been 
founded.     With  the  addition  of  three  of  the  towns- 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  307 

people  whom  I  know  to  be  Jews,  we  shall  make  up 
the  necessary  quorum  of  ten.  The  service  will  be 
held  in  my  rooms  for  the  present,  and  we  have  sub- 
scribed for  the  purchase  of  a  Scroll  of  the  Law  for  the 
reading  of  the  Sabbath  portion." 

Phil  turned  several  pages  before  his  eyes  halted  on 
another  entry.  "  Nov.  20th,"  he  read.  "  A  most  wel- 
come surprise  this  morning — a  letter  from  Leuw 
direct  to  me.  The  post-mark  is  Cape  Town.  He 
writes  little,  only  just  that  he  is  well,  and  is  going 
further  up  country.     Good  luck  go  with  him.,, 

"  Jan.  30th.  Have  just  been  told  officially  that  I 
have  won  the  '  Craven.'  Robinson,  my  tutor,  had 
said  long  before  the  exam,  that  it  was  a  certainty  for 
me;  I  half  believed  him  myself.  I  am  so  used  to  hav- 
ing things  my  own  way  that  I  am  longing  for  a  defeat 
to  save  me  from  getting  blase.  To  get  the  '  Craven,' 
the  blue  riband  of  classical  distinctions  open  to  the 
whole  'Varsity,'  in  my  first  year!  True,  the  thing 
is  not  without  precedent,  but  still  .  .  .  Hang  it,  I 
wish  I  could  get  somebody  to  kick  me  hard.  It's 
simply  abominable,  this  cold-blooded  complacency  of 
mine.  Phil,  you're  found  out.  You're  a  humbug. 
The  quiet  humility  on  which  you  pride  yourself  is  all 
a  sham — is  worse  than  the  most  bouncing,  but  frank, 
conceit.  On  my  honor,  the  next  time  I  catch  you 
developing  prig  symptoms,  I'll  take  all  your  trophies 
and  make  a  bonfire  of  them." 

Phil  paused  with  his  finger  on  the  page,  and  smiled 
to  himself  a  little.  How  easily  he  had  allowed  himself 
to  get  ruffled  in  those  days!  He  took  things  more 
calmly  now;  that  was  because  he  knew  himself  better, 
and  could  argue  out  the  phenomena  of  his  disposition 


3o8  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

more  rationally.  He  no  longer  mistook  honest  exul- 
tation over  things  honestly  achieved  for  blatant  self- 
glorifying.  And  as  for  priggishness,  he  knew  the  dif- 
ference between  an  obtrusive  mock  modesty  and  out- 
spoken self-respect.  If  only  the  people  of  his  race 
had  seen  these  things  more  clearly,  they  might  have 
saved  themselves  much  humiliation. 

He  turned  more  pages  and  yet  more.  It  was  not 
the  first  time  he  had  read  in  his  "  Book  of  Chronicles," 
and  he  knew  his  favorite  places.  He  was  coming  to 
one  that  was  very  dear  to  him. 

"  June  7th.  May  Week  is  in  full  swing;  it  is  called 
'  May  Week '  because  it  never  falls  earlier  than  June. 
According  to  long-standing  arrangement,  Aunt, 
Dulcie,  and  Effie  came  up  for  it.  Mother  would  not 
join  them;  but  even  if  I  use  force,  she  will  have  to 
come  to  see  me  take  my  award  on  prize-day  at  the 
Senate  House.  Talking  of  which — Broughton  has 
still  not  got  over  his  surprise  that  he  beat  me  for  the 
Chancellor's  Verse  Medal.  He  read  my  doggerel  be- 
fore it  was  to  be  sent  in,  and  said  he  was  not  going  to 
make  a  fool  of  himself.  He  was  awfully  disappointed; 
he  had  so  set  his  heart  on  getting  the  '  pot.'  With  real 
difficulty  I  persuaded  him  to  let  his  poem  go  in.  Mine 
came  back — unread  of  course,  because  I  happened  to 
exceed  time  for  sending  in  by  one  day;  it  was  very 
careless  of  me.  But  this  is  a  digression.  We  are 
having  a  high  old  time  of  it.  The  weather  is  glorious; 
our  first  boat  went  up  a  place  last  '  night.'  Effie — 
I  mean  the  girls,  are  creating  a  sensation  wherever 
they  are  seen.  They  set  each  other  off  splendidly. 
Dulcie,  with  her  sweet,  delicate  face,  gives  one  an  im- 
pression  of  gossamer  and  butterflies.     Effie?     That 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  309 

note  of  interrogation  means  everything.  I  don't  know 
what  to  say  of  her.  Let's  try,  though.  What  a  proud 
strong  face  she  is  getting!  what  a  carriage!  She  steps 
along  like  a  princess  on  the  way  to  her  kingdom.  I 
almost  feel  sorry  for  the  people  she  looks  at;  they 
must  get  an  idea  of  what  it  is  like  to  be  struck  by  light- 
ning. And  her  utter  want  of  self-consciousness.  She 
seems  too  proud  to  be  proud  of  herself;  I  make  up  for 
her.  What  a  swagger  I  am  growing.  I  dare  not 
show  myself  alone,  because  I  am  straightway  mobbed 
with  requests  for  introductions.  Are  they  coming  to 
the  College  dance  to-morrow  night?  I  don't  know — 
they  are  so  young,  you  see.  Whereupon  an  imme- 
diate suggestion  to  despatch  a  deputation  to  Aunt.  I 
know  the  dare-devils  are  capable  of  everything,  espe- 
cially in  the  May  Week;  and  so,  to  save  Aunt  from  the 
invasion,  I  promise  solemnly  to  use  my  influence  with 
her. 

'  A  change  has  come  into  the  relations  between 
Effie  and  myself — a  change  which,  on  the  one  hand, 
makes  us  strangely  distant,  and,  on  the  other,  draws  us 
more  nearly  together.  It  seems  to  me  that  whenever 
we  look  at  each  other,  we  ought  to  put  our  forefinger 
to  our  lips.  I  feel  sort  of  guilty.  It  seems  unfair  to 
Aunt.  There — hang  my  squeamishness.  What's  up? 
What's  wrong?  A  girl  and  a  boy  get  chummy  to- 
gether, and  they  don't  care  about  shouting  the  thing 
out  from  the  house  tops.  I  never  saw  such  a  fellow 
for  making  his  own  troubles." 

Again  Phil  paused — this  time  with  such  a  tense  air 
of  thoughtfulness  as  though  every  fibre  of  his  brain 
were  strung  tight.  It  was  more  than  seven  years 
since  he  had  penned  the  above;  and  now — what  post- 


3io 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 


script  had  he  to  add?  None.  Effie  and  he  were  still 
chums.  Their  dealings  with  each  other  showed  no 
implication  of  anything  more — no  half-revealed  after- 
thought. The  progress  of  the  years  had  tempered  it 
with  a  mature  sympathy,  had  given  to  it  the  security 
of  a  full,  mutual  understanding.  That  was  all.  But 
was  it  all?  Phil's  look  became  tenser.  He  was  stand- 
ing face  to  face  with  himself;  where  was  the  need  for 
prevarication?  No,  his  heart  had  not  kept  within 
the  range  of  a  mere  camaraderie;  it  had  strained 
further  afield.  But  he  had  a  sure  tether  for  its  rebel- 
lious leap — the  haunting  sense  of  disloyalty  to  the 
woman  to  whom  he  owed  so  much,  nay,  everything. 
Not  that  he  would  dishonor  her  by  the  suspicion  of  a 
narrow  jealousy  at  finding  out  that  his  fealty  to  her 
was  to  be  made  secondary  to  his  allegiance  to  another ; 
she  had  always  been  so  generous,  so  loving-kind,  that 
he  dared  not  even  look  upon  his  self-abnegation  as  an 
act  of  requital.  But  be  that  as  it  might,  he  could  not 
thrust  the  issue  off  much  further.  Day  by  day  his 
feelings  were  crystallizing,  and  the  surer  he  became 
of  himself,  the  greater  and  more  formidable  grew  his 
uncertainty  of  Effie.  For  Effie  gave  no  sign — how 
could  he  expect  it  of  Effie,  the  proud,  the  reticent? 
And,  perhaps,  while  he  was  fondly  hugging  to  him- 
self his  notion  of  chivalry  to  Mrs.  Duveen,  he  was 
foolishly  frittering  away  the  great  opportunity  of  his 
life,  the  dearest  hope  of  his  future.  After  all,  he  owed 
a  duty  to  himself.  .  .  . 

Impatiently  he  passed  his  hand  across  his  forehead 
as  if  to  dash  away  the  cobwebs  behind  it.  It  was  al- 
ways the  same,  whenever  he  endeavored  to  take  coun- 
sel with  himself  on  his  dilemma — there  were  always 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  311 

the  same  self-questionings  ending  in  the  same  doubts 
and  irresolution.  Each  time  he  determined  that  the 
next  should  bring  him  clearness;  but  the  next  never 
seemed  to  come.  With  a  sigh  he  resumed  the  read- 
ing of  his  records,  but  the  pages  had  lost  their  hold 
on  his  attention.  Here  and  there  his  glance  dwelt 
somewhat  longer  on  some  particular  entry,  making 
note  of  a  letter  from  Leuw,  some  academic  achieve- 
ment or  other — it  was  easy  to  see  how  his  hand  had 
trembled  as  it  made  the  memorandum  of  his  election 
to  a  Fellowship  at  his  college.  Then  came  pages  on 
pages  of  references  to  his  travels  abroad,  extending 
more  or  less  over  a  period  of  two  years,  including  a 
stay  of  six  months  in  Germany,  of  the  same  length 
in  Paris,  and  a  flying  visit  to  Russian  territory,  where 
his  over-eager  and  incautious  investigations  into  the 
condition  of  his  coreligionists  nearly  landed  him  into 
prison  as  a  spy,  and  necessitated  an  abrupt  departure. 
After  that  came  an  entry  which  he  read  and  re-read 
with  an  interest  which  the  bald  brevity  of  its  wording 
hardly  seemed  to  justify: 

"  Nov.  25th.  Have  taken  up  residence  in  Rupert 
Street." 

That  was  now  two  years  ago.  He  had  come  there 
in  accordance  with  the  resolve,  which,  by  virtue  of  its 
unflinching  steadfastness  of  purpose,  had  taken  to 
itself  the  sanctity  of  a  vow.  He  had  gone  back 
among  his  people  to  repay,  as  far  as  he  could,  the 
debt  he  felt  was  due  to  them.  The  material  advantages 
which  had  helped  him  on  in  his  career  had  been  a 
mere  accident.  But  his  capacity  for  making  them 
bear  fruit  as  he  had  done — that  at  least  was  no  matter 
of  chance.     It  was  ingrained  in  him  as  his  share  of 


312 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 


the  racial  calibre,  which  was  the  inevitable  outcome 
of  a  century-long  combat  wherein  it  was  all  thrust 
on  the  one  side,  and  nothing  but  parry  on  the  other. 
His  share  of  it  had  been  very  liberal;  all  that  had  re- 
mained for  him  to  do  was  to  raise  its  level,  ennoble  it, 
in  order  to  make  it  fit  for  the  higher  functions  to  which 
it  was  worthy  of  ministering.  What  shape  and 
fashion  his  recompense  was  to  take,  he  was  himself 
yet  undecided.  He  was  there  as  a  free-lance.  He 
had  not  attached  himself  to  any  official  organization, 
because  he  would  not  follow  blindly  in  the  beaten 
tracks,  nor  take  for  granted  the  infallibility  of  attempts, 
however  much  they  had  the  prestige  of  precedent.  He 
wished  to  see  for  himself;  he  wished  to  combine  the 
somewhat  blurred  impressions  of  his  youth  with  the 
clarified  experience  of  his  discreeter  years  and  to  heal 
with  the  confident  touch  of  the  physician  for  whom 
the  constitution  of  his  patient  has  no  secret.  Yet 
even  while  he  was  diagnosing,  he  would  not  refrain 
from  those  minor  usefulnesses,  which  certainly  would 
do  no  harm,  and  would,  at  the  least,  serve  to  keep  his 
hand  in  practice  till  the  time  came  for  greater  things. 
When  the  time  came!  More  than  once  had  it  struck 
him  that  what  to  him  seemed  caution,  might  by  others 
be  construed  into  culpable  cowardice.  Well,  even  so. 
Was  there  not  something  laudable  in  his  hesitation  to 
take  upon  his  shoulders  a  burden  which,  for  want  of 
support,  he  might  have  to  let  go  crashing  to  the 
ground?  It  was  not  the  possible  hurt  to  his  own 
vanity  that  he  feared ;  but  he  would  have  it  on  his  con- 
science that  his  failure,  perhaps,  might  act  as  a  bug- 
bear disheartening  others,  whose  superior  prudence 
would  make  success  more  of  a  foregone  conclusion. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  3^ 

Besides,  he  might  leave  ruins  to  be  cleared  away  be- 
fore the  new  start  could  be  made,  and  that  would  waste 
valuable  time.  And  so  he  was  waiting  for  reinforce- 
ments. True,  he  knew  of  many  whose  help  would 
be  forthcoming,  and  was  well  worth  the  having;  but 
their  turn  would  not  come  till  later  on.  For  the  very 
initiative  the  sole  ally  he  was  wanting  and  waiting  for 
was  his  brother  Leuw. 

He  closed  the  volume,  and  replaced  it  with  the 
others  in  the  drawer.  It  was  a  few  minutes  to  seven. 
He  took  up  and  put  into  his  coat  pocket  some  loose 
sheets  of  paper,  closely  covered  with  his  notes  for 
the  evening's  lecture — an  elementary  exposition  of  the 
duties  of  citizenship.  The  class-room  was  situated 
just  round  the  corner,  and  consisted  of  a  now  disused 
workshop,  which  Phil  had  received  permission  to  turn 
to  his  own  purpose.  It  was  here  that  he  assembled, 
two  evenings  in  the  week,  the  score  or  so  of  lads  and 
young  men  whom  Phil,  by  personal  canvass  in  each 
case,  had  found  to  be  amenable  to  the  higher  recre- 
ations after  the  day  spent  at  the  tailor's  board  or  over 
the  riveter's  last,  and  whom  he  hoped  to  make  the 
nucleus  of  that  larger  movement  which  was  as  yet 
awaiting  its  definite  shape. 

The  hour's  spell  of  retrospect  which  Phil  had  in- 
dulged in  had  resulted  in  making  him  feel  restless  and. 
unsettled.  His  heart  was  not  in  his  work  to-night; 
and,  besides,  the  prospect  of  a  long,  solitary  evening 
was  not  particularly  alluring.  Mrs.  Duveen  and  the 
girls,  he  was  aware,  were  going  to  some  affair  or  other, 
and  to  his  mother's  he  already  had  been  that  morning. 
So  it  was  with  a  sense  of  relief  that  he  received  the 
information,  conveyed  to  him  through  the  half-open 


314  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

door  by  the  lady  of  the  house,  to  the  effect  that  a 
gentleman — leastways  she  wasn't  quite  sure  that  he 
was  a 'gentleman,  because  he  only  wore  a  "bowler" 
hat — had  just  called  to  see  Mr.  Duveen,  and  he 
wouldn't  tell  his  name,  and  he  was  quite  positive  that 
Mr.  Duveen  would  know  him  at  sight.  She  had 
shown  him  into  the  parlor,  and  trusted  to  her  luck 
that  everything  would  be  all  right. 

Phil  thanked  her,  and  told  her  to  say  he  would 
be  down  presently.  He  had  no  idea  who  his  visitor 
might  be;  probably  some  Cambridge  friend,  or  more 
likely  Uncle  Bram,  who  had  once  or  twice  before 
sprung  this  welcome  surprise  on  him,  A  few  minutes 
later  he  brought  his  lecture  to  a  close,  and  having  seen 
the  class  out,  hurried  down  with  a  smile  of  ready  wel- 
come on  his  lips.  But  the  smile  flickered  out,  as  on 
entering  the  room  he  saw  himself  confronted  by  an 
utter  stranger.  The  tiny  jet  of  gas,  which  the  lady 
of  the  house  had  lit,  and  of  which  she  was  at  that 
moment  making  a  note  as  an  "  extra  "  to  be  charged 
for  when  the  rent  came  due,  showed  up  little  more  of 
the  stranger's  face  than  a  thick,  though  well-groomed, 
black  beard. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  have  the  advantage  of  me,"  stam- 
mered Phil,  disappointed. 

The  stranger  emitted  a  low  laugh.  Phil  gasped, 
fell  back  a  pace  or  two,  and  then  started  forward  im- 
petuously: 

'  Leuw — in  Heaven's  name — it  isn't  you?" 

'  I  think  it  is,  Phil,"  was  the  smiling,  if  tremulous, 
reply. 

"  Leuw — God,  it  isn't  possible!  " 

'  Why,  Phil,  you  are  taking  it  even  worse  than 
mother,"  said  Leuw,  his  voice  now  very  shaky. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  315 

"  Oh,  Leuw,  I  can't  believe  it — I  can't  believe  .  .  ." 
And  the  lady  of  the  house,  feeling  naturally  entitled 
to  know  what  went  on  in  her  own  parlor,  had  the 
shock  of  seeing  the  usually  so  sedate  and  self-pos- 
sessed Mr.  Duveen  sobbing  away  for  dear  life  on  the 
shoulder  of  the  stranger  in  the  "  bowler  "  hat. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

A  few  minutes  afterwards  the  two  brothers  were 
walking  through  the  streets  back  to  Phil's  rooms. 
Neither  of  them  spoke,  but  they  clung  to  each  other's 
arm,  as  though  they  had  quite  made  up  their  minds 
never  again  to  let  go  hold  of  each  other.  Silently 
Phil  landed  Leuw  into  the  softest  chair,  and  then  went 
back  to  the  door,  locked  it,  and  with  a  glad  little 
laugh  put  the  key  in  his  pocket. 

"  Now  you're  my  prisoner,  and  you  won't  get  free 
till  I've  had  every  syllable  out  of  you,"  he  cried  buoy- 
antly. 

"  That's  something  like  what  mother  said,  as  I 
walked  into  the  house  about  ten  minutes  after  you 
had  left  there,"  smiled  Leuw.  "  By  the  way,  she 
hopes  you  won't  be  angry  with  her  for  not  letting  me 
come  sooner,  or  for  not  sending  you  word.  She 
wanted  to  have  me  all  to  herself  for  a  little  while,  the 
foolish  woman!  " 

"  Yes,  she  certainly  had  a  right  to  that,"  said  Phil 
half  to  himself.     "  Did  she  recognize  you?" 

"  You  bet  she  did — knew  me  before  I  stepped  into 
the  house,  by  my  knock,  she  says." 

*  I  won't  ask  why  you  didn't  tell  us  to  expect  you; 
you  wouldn't  be  Leuw  Lipcott  if  you  did.  But  now 
you  are  here,  are  you  going  to  stop,  or  are  you  going 
back?" 

"  That  will  depend  on  circumstances,"  replied  Leuw 
with  more  gravity  than  the  question  seemed  to  war- 
rant. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  317 

"And  now,  Leuw,  one  more  query;  how  have  you 
got  on?  It  seems  strange  I  should  have  to  ask  it,  but 
you  will  admit  your  letters  never  went  much  beyond 
saying  that  you  were  alive.  However,  I  suppose  you 
think  you  have  already  answered  it  indirectly  by  the 
allowance  of  twelve  pounds  a  month  you  have  made 
mother  during  the  last  five  years,  with  the  option  of 
her  drawing  as  much  again  if  she  found  it  necessary/' 

"  Yes,  Phil,  I  can  fairly  say  I  have  fallen  on  my 
feet,"  was  Leuw's  deliberate  reply. 

Phil  was  about  to  speak,  but,  on  second  thoughts 
apparently,  he  only  fixed  his  gaze  steadily  on  Leuw's 
face,  and  kept  it  there. 

'  I  know  what  you  are  thinking  of,"  said  the  latter 
quietly. 

"Do  you?"  exclaimed  Phil  eagerly. 

"  Perfectly,  and  I  shall  save  you  the  effort  of  asking. 
Yes,  Phil,  I  know  there  are  various  ways  of  falling  on 
one's  feet,  but  mine  was  the  straight  way,  be  assured." 

"  Forgive  me,  Leuw;  one  hears  of  strange  happen- 
ings out  there,  and  a  man  sometimes  has  to  make  his 
own  opportunities.  I  was  certain  the  reason  that  you 
never  touched  in  your  letters  on  the  particular  nature 
of  your  doings  was  not  that  you  had  anything  to  con- 
ceal— forgive  me,  Leuw.  .  .  ." 

There  is  nothing  to  forgive,"  replied  Leuw,  lay- 
ing his  hand  re-assuringly  on  Phil's.  *  By  Jove, 
though,  it  never  struck  me  till  this  minute  that  such  a 
natural  construction  could  be  put  on  my  silence. 
Serves  me  jolly  well  right  for  being  such  a  confound- 
edly secretive  animal.  Phil,  thanks  for  having  the 
courage  to  put  the  matter  so  straight  to  me,  and  so 
giving  me  a  chance  to  set  myself  right  with  you.     If 


3i8  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

not,  there  might  have  been  a  kind  of  a  limp  in  our 
dealing  with  each  other,  and  I  shouldn't  have  been 
able  to  find  the  lame  spot." 

"  There,  Leuw,  never  mind — we  have  done  with 
that." 

4  Oh,  have  we  done  with  it? '  exclaimed  Leuw. 
"  Not  if  I  know  it.  I've  got  to  make  you  some  repa- 
ration for  having  given  you  the  pain  of  doubting 
your  brother;  I'll  tell  you  my  yarn  from  beginning  to 
end — unless  you  think  it  will  weary  you." 

Phil's  reproachfulness  was  simply  too  great  for 
words. 

"  It  isn't  very  long,  and  you  needn't  prepare  your- 
self for  anything  wildly  exciting,"  continued  Leuw. 
"  No  hairbreadth  'scapes,  no  treasure-troves — though 
I  must  say  I've  had  my  fair  share  of  luck.  I  worked, 
and  when  I  saw  my  chance  I  caught  hold  of  it,  and 
didn't  let  it  go  till  I  had  squeezed  it  dry.  I  got  away 
from  Cape  Town  as  soon  as  I  could,  only  just  staying 
long  enough  to  fix  up  my  little  caravan,  and  struck 
out  across  country,  as  I  wrote  you  at  the  time.  The 
road  was  good  to  me,  and  by  the  time  I  got  to  the 
mines  my  stock  of  tin  pots  and  earthenware  was  gone, 
and  my  outlay  had  come  back  to  me  twice  its  size." 

"  And  then  you  bought  a  share  in  a  mine,"  hazarded 
Phil. 

"  Yes,  that's  the  conventional  idea  of  it,"  smiled 
Leuw;  "but  you  know,  I  always  had  a  weakness  for 
originality.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  let  the  mines 
severely  alone.  I  gathered  my  five  senses  into  a 
bunch,  and  saw  that  the  place  had  in  it  the  makings  of 
a  big  town.  Others  had  done  so  before  me,  and  were 
merrily  buying  up  every  inch  of  land  they  could  lay 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  3^ 

hands  on  near  the  settlement.  I  looked  on  quietly, 
and  just  when  the  grabbing  was  at  its  height  there, 
I  went  and  bought  up  a  stretch  of  ground  about  two 
miles  off  the  mines — got  it  for  a  song,  and  even  then 
got  laughed  at  for  a  crack-brained  young  idiot.  I  let 
them  laugh;  I  had  figured  the  thing  out,  and  started 
building  my  shanty.  If  there  is  going  to  be  a  town, 
I  calculated,  there  will  have  to  be  a  fashionable  neigh- 
borhood to  it,  and  that,  as  likely  as  not,  will  be  as  far 
off  as  possible  from  the  smell,  and  the  noise,  and  the 
riff-raff  of  the  mine-quarter.  So  I  waited;  and  in  the 
meanwhile,  just  to  keep  myself  from  getting  bored,  I 
started  that  mineral  water  factory  I'd  been  having  on 
the  brain  for  the  last  year  or  so,  and  in  three  months 
my  one  little  machine  had  grown  to  four  big  ones, 
and  I  was  getting  troubled  where  I  should  hang  the 
testimonial  the  National  Temperance  League  would 
for  a  certainty  drop  down  on  me  as  soon  as  they  got 
to  know.  Well,  all  the  time  that  town  wasn't  idle 
either.  I  had  given  it  five  years  to  crawl  down  to 
where  I  was  waiting  for  it;  instead  of  which  it  came 
galloping  up  in  three.  I  was  ready  for  it;  I  put  an- 
other two  stories  and  a  veranda  to  my  shanty,  gave  it 
a  new  coat  of  paint,  and  called  it  an  hotel.  All  over 
my  spare  ground  the  swell  villas  were  springing  up 
like  mushrooms  after  the  rain.  And  the  freehold  I 
bought  for  a  song,  well,  I  wouldn't  sell  it  for  a  whole 
opera.  That's  all;  I've  shown  you  my  bag  of  tricks. 
Very  simple,  isn't  it,  Phil?" 

"  As  simple  as  the  egg  of  Columbus,"  said  Phil 
gravely.  "  Didn't  it  ever  strike  you  that  you  were  do- 
ing wonderful  things?" 

Leuw  laughed.  "  I  never  found  time  for  patting 
myself  on  the  back,     What  about  you,  though?" 


320 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


"What  about  me?'  echoed  Phil  with  suppressed 
vehemence.  "  I  have  crammed  a  few  books  into  my 
head,  carried  off  a  money-prize  or  two,  which,  per- 
haps, some  other  poor  beggar  needed  much  more 
badly  than  I  did.  ..." 

"  No,  no,  Phil,"  said  Leuw,  holding  up  a  protest- 
ing hand,  "  you  won't  get  me  on  to  that  tack  again. 
We  happened  to  light  on  the  subject  eight  years  ago, 
if  you  remember,  and  you  did  not  discuss  it  with  the 
philosophic  calm  I  expected  of  you.  Let's  talk  of 
something  else.  What's  your  idea  in  taking  up  your 
quarters  down  here?  Mother  told  me  she  couldn't 
quite  see  it.  You  went  in  for  holding  classes — in  fact, 
I  caught  you  at  it  myself  just  now — buying  clothes  and 
things  for  odd  urchins,  sending  sick  people  down  to 
the  seaside  all  on  the  quiet,  and  playing  my  Lord 
Bountiful  generally.     Pastime,  I  suppose,  eh?' 

A  drawn  look  came  about  Phil's  lips  at  the  con- 
cluding question. 

"  Is  that  how  it  strikes  you?"  he  said,  shooting  a 
swift  glance  at  his  brother. 

"  I  did  not  say  it  struck  me  one  way  or  the  other," 
replied  Leuw,  his  tone  bearing  out,  apparently,  the 
neutrality  of  his  thought.  By  comparison  with  it 
Phil's  sounded  quivering. 

"  Yes,  Leuw,  I  have  made  it  my  pastime — in  the 
same  spirit  that  you  set  up  your  mineral  water  factory 
to  prevent  yourself  from  getting  bored.  Doesn't  it 
seem  to  you  an  amusement  one  could  take  very  seri- 
ously? "  * 

"  I  don't  see  how  it  could  be  taken  otherwise,"  said 
Leuw. 

"  But  the  fact  remains,"  went  on  Phil  almost  sul- 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  321 

lenly,  "  that,  considered  as  work  or  play,  you  can't 
quite  understand  how  the  thing  should  ever  take  any- 
body's fancy — eh?" 

'  How  do  you  make  that  out?"  asked  Leuw 
sharply. 

k  Only  by  the  manner  in  which  you  talked  of  it.  I 
have  half  an  idea  that  instead  of  my  '  Lord  Bountiful,' 
it  was  on  the  tip  of  your  tongue  to  say  'Don 
Quixote.'  " 

Leuw  smiled  strangely.  "I  must  not  blame  you, 
Phil,"  he  then  replied  gravely.  "  I  admit,  I  always  have 
been  a  bit  of  a  mystery-monger,  and  I  could  not  ex- 
pect that  our  eight  years'  separation  should  have 
taught  you  to  understand  me  better.  What  you  took 
for  indifference  on  my  part  was  only  my  way  of  ex- 
pressing astonishment." 

"  Astonishment  at  what,  Leuw?  " 

"  At  you — at  your  coming  to  meet  me  half-way, 
when  I  had  made  up  my  mind  for  a  troublesome  jour- 
ney before  I  would  get  to  you." 

'.'  I  am  trying  to  catch  your  drift,  but  — "  And 
Phil  shook  his  head  helplessly. 

'  One  moment,  please,  Phil.  What  else  was  I  to 
expect?  I  knew  you  were  having  a  brilliant  career. 
You  were  making  a  name  for  yourself.  Everybody 
was  looking  on  you  as  a  '  most  promising '  young 
man.  And,  between  ourselves,  our  people  are,  per- 
haps, a  little  inclined  to  hero-worship.  I  fancied  you 
to  myself — in  my  gloomier  moods,  I  confess — the 
darling  of  the  Maida  Vale  drawing-rooms,  flattered 
and  molly-coddled,  making  the  most  of  your  social 
opportunities,  and  growing  a  head  the  size  of  a  pump- 
kin. And  what  is  the  truth?  I  find  you  here,  in  the 
21 


2>22 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


thick  of  the  mud  and  the  misery,  pushing  away  from 
you  all  that  puts  the  glitter  on  life  to  a  man  of  your 
age,  and  taking  on  yourself  the  duty  which  most  peo- 
ple— God  forbid  I  should  say  all — are  only  too  pleased 
to  pass  on  to  their  neighbor." 

"  And  is  that  what  you  meant  by  my  coming  to  meet 
you  half-way?  "  asked  Phil  breathlessly. 

"  Yes,  Phil,  because  I  was  not  going  to  start  with- 
out you — I  was  decided  on  that.  And  now  it's  I  who 
have  to  beg  to  be  allowed  to  accompany  you." 

"  When  did  you  first  think  of  it?  "  came  softly  from 
Phil. 

"  I  don't  remember  the  time  when  I  did  not  think 
of  it.  I  had  made  it  my  aim  long  before  I  could  rea- 
sonably hope  ever  to  carry  it  into  effect." 

"  And  now  that  the  possibility  has  come  to  you,  all 
the  more  wonder  that  the  desire  should  have  remained. 
Look  at  all  you  have  done  and  won;  look  at  the  thou- 
sand and  one  inducements  to  distract  you  from  your 
purpose.  .  .  ." 

"  Now  you  are  turning  the  tables  on  me,  Phil.  For 
heaven's  sake,  don't  let  us  begin  by  developing  into  a 
mutual  admiration  society.  But  your  last  point  de- 
serves answering.  I  never  allowed  myself  to  sink  to 
the  status  of  a  money-grubbing  machine — I  wasn't  so 
foolish  as  that.  I  took  good  care  to  keep  human; 
because  one  day  I  wished  to  enjoy  what  I  had  toiled 
for,  and  machines  can't  do  that.  And  it's  wonderful, 
Phil,  what  an  edge  it  puts  on  a  man's  feelings  to  be 
much  alone.  Many  and  many  a  time,  as  I  sat  all  by 
myself,  looking  out  on  to  the  veldt,  and  listened  to  the 
night  throbbing  around  me — don't  laugh,  I  know  it 
sounds    frightfully    poetical — I    thought    to    myself: 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  323 

4  Leuw,  that  is  the  heart  of  your  people  beating/  I 
never  knew  how  near  they  were  to  me  till  I  had  put 
the  distance  of  a  few  thousand  miles  between  us." 

There  was  a  silence,  which  neither  seemed  inclined 
to  break.     At  length  Phil  spoke. 

*  I  felt  the  same,  Leuw.  Certainly,  geographically 
speaking,  I  never  was  as  far  away  from  them  as  you 
— a  great  part  of  the  time  not  more  than  an  easy  after- 
dinner  stroll.  But  then  there  was  the  danger,  never- 
theless, of  my  drifting  so  far  away  from  them  that 
not  even  you  would  have  been  strong  enough  to  draw 
me  back  again.  I  never  saw  that  danger  myself,  I 
must  admit,  till  you  pointed  it  out  to  me  just  now." 

'  Not  very  tactfully,  I  am  afraid.  But  you  must 
make  allowances.  Out  there  where  I  was  scales  are 
used  more  for  weighing  gold  than  for  weighing 
words." 

Phil  looked  at  him  affectionately.  "  If  this  is  no 
time  for  compliments,  it  is  much  less  a  time  for  re- 
proaches," he  continued.  "  I  don't  think  that  any- 
thing we  have  said  could  pass  for  one  or  the  other.  I 
certainly  do  not  take  any  credit  to  myself  for  what  I 
have  done,  because  I  hardly  could  have  done  other- 
wise, had  the  temptations  been  twice  as  great.  I  can- 
not even  claim  it  was  a  conscious  action  on  my  part;  it 
was  simply  an  instinct  that  would  take  no  denial. 
These  people,  speaking  to  me  in  the  voice  any  man  will 
give  ear  to  before  all  others,  the  voice  of  his  youth, 
these  people  called,  and  I  followed." 

"  Anybody  would  think  we  were  justifying  our- 
selves," broke  in  Leuw. 

'  No,  not  justifying  ourselves,  but  defining  our  posi- 
tion.    There  are  hundreds,  thousands  of  us  who,  as 


324 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 


the  cant  phrase  has  it,  have  risen  superior  to  their 
surroundings.  They  have  emerged  from  the  teeming, 
struggling  depths  of  their  kindred  in  race,  flattering 
themselves  they  did  so  by  their  own  native  mother- 
wit,  and  sublimely  ignorant  that  the  capital  they 
started  with  was  their  portion  of  the  national  inherit- 
ance, which  our  people  had  accumulated  during  the 
years  wherein  their  oppressors  thought  they  were  beg- 
garing them  irretrievably  in  hope  and  health  and  the 
will  to  live.  And  thus  few,  very  few,  have  returned 
to  give  tithe  or  toll  of  their  success  where  it  was  due." 

"  Go  on,  Phil;  the  clearer  we  see  the  situation  the 
better." 

"  Leuw,  there  is  nothing  that  makes  me  more  hope- 
ful of  the  issue  than  that  we  two,  so  different  in  bent 
and  disposition,  should  have  met  on  this  as  common 
ground.  You  and  I  represent — let  us  say  it  without 
a  false  sense  of  modesty — the  two  main  characteris- 
tics, the  two  broad  subdivisions,  in  .which  the  vitality, 
the  stamina  of  our  people  admittedly  manifests  itself; 
you  the  material,  the  commercial,  to  speak  accu- 
rately— I  the  intellectual.  It  is  the  systematic  and 
heart-whole  co-operation  of  these  two  which  is  the 
first  great  requisite,  if  we  are  to  react  with  any  effect 
at  all  on  the  subject  of  our  experiment.  Excuse  the 
coldly  scientific  phraseology.  The  man  of  business 
will  be  asked  to  contribute  the  sinews  of  war  and — 
a  matter  of  equal  importance — his  knowledge  of  prac- 
tical affairs.  On  the  student  will  devolve  the  task  of 
employing  his  delicate  touch — may  I  say  his  moral 
finesse  and  subtlety? — in  probing  the  somewhat  diffi- 
cult and  self-contradictory  organism  into  which  the 
force  of  circumstances  has   turned  the  modern  Jew. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  325 

That  the  latter  requires  tender  handling  I  suppose  you 
are  prepared  to  admit.  The  phases  of  his  character 
are  as  numerous  as  the  vicissitudes  he  has  survived; 
and  unless  you  take  him  at  the  proper  psychological 
moment,  it  is  possible  that  he  will  look  on  our  ap- 
proaches as  the  would-be  cunning  of  a  rather  stupid 
enemy.  This,  then,  is  my  province.  I  think  we  men 
of  the  study  are  more  adept  in  applying  the  thermome- 
ter to  his  soul  than  you  of  the  market-place." 

'  I  am  awfully  glad,"  said  Leuw  seriously.  "  I  was 
half  afraid  you  would  get  on  stilts,  and  go  in  for  vi- 
sionary vaporings  and  all  that  kind  of  thing.  There  is 
something  very  re-assuring  in  the  prompt,  cut-and- 
dried  way  in  which  you  manage  to  put  the  case." 

"  I  am  only  saying  what  I  have  written  elsewhere," 
smiled  Phil. 

"  Have  you?  Then  why  on  earth  don't  you  trot  it 
out?" 

"  Oh,  it's  hardly  worth  while,  Leuw — I  have  only 
just  put  down  a  few  rough  notes,  which  I  didn't  have 
the  heart  to  elaborate.     Still,  if  you  want  to  listen — ." 

Phil  reached  out  for  a  substantial  copy-book,  and 
found  the  place. 

The  solution  of  the  so-called  Jewish  question," 
he  read,  "  must  be  sought  for,  separately  and  indi- 
vidually, in  the  countries  which  the  respective  con- 
tingents of  our  coreligionists  have  adopted  for  their 
habitat.  That  so  few  efforts  have  been  made  in  this 
direction  is  a  serious  reproach  to  the  leaders  of  Jewish 
thought  and  the  men  whose  influence  is  of  a  more 
material  nature.  Of  late  they  seem  to  have  washed 
their  hands  entirely  of  the  responsibility,  owing  to  the 
propaganda  for  repatriation  to  the  land  of  our  fore- 


326  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

fathers  and  the  consequent  resumption  of  a  national 
or  rather  international  activity,  which  has  fired  the 
imagination  of  the  Jewish  proletariat.  That  this 
dream  is  as  yet  within  no  measurable  distance  of  reali- 
zation, even  the  most  perfervid  of  the  self-appointed 
restorationists  will  have  to  admit;  he  will  equally  ad- 
mit that  any  intermediate  disciplining  of  our  racial  re- 
sources cannot  but  act  beneficially  on  whatever  may 
prove  the  eventual  outcome  of  the  movement.  The 
claims  of  justification  for  this  latter  seem  exaggerated 
—even  with  regard  to  the  situation  in  Russia,  where  it 
is  undoubtedly  at  its  acutest." 

"Even  in  Russia,  Phil?"  exclaimed  Leuw.     "  Isn't 
that  a  rather  bold  thing  to  say?  " 

'  Honestly,  I  can't  say  otherwise,"  replied  Phil. 
'  I  own  I  may  be  drawing  too  sweeping  inference 
from  a  somewhat  cursory  observation.  But  I  cannot 
go  against  my  impressions.  The  educational  and 
topographical  restrictions  are,  of  course,  sad  and  un- 
deniable facts,  the  removal  of  which  must  be  left  to 
the  almost  irrepressible  spread  of  political  and  religi- 
ous tolerance.  But  the  economic  condition  of  the 
bulk  of  the  Jewish  population  compares  favorably 
with  that  of  the  orthodox  peasantry." 

"  Yes,  and  what  about  the  petty  tyranny  of  which 
we  hear  so  much?"  interposed  Leuw. 

'  I  don't  know.  What  I  noticed  at  the  frontier  sta- 
tions, not  in  one  instance  but  in  several,  was  this:  the 
'  mujik  '  hawker,  on  his  way  to  the  neighboring  Ger- 
man market-towns,  handed  his  passport  in  at  the 
gendarmerie,  cap  in  hand,  positively  squirming  with 
humility;  his  Jewish  confrere  strolled  by  unchallenged, 
with  a  nod  of  careless  recognition  to  the  sergeant  on 
duty.     Doesn't  that  seem  to  you  significant?" 


A  TALE   OF  LONDON  JEWRY  327 

"  It  certainly  seems  contrary  to  accepted  notions/' 
agreed  Leuw,  with  half  a  smile.  "  But  let  us  keep 
to  the  point;  how  do  you  go  on?  " 

"  The  main  difficulty  which  has  to  be  contended 
against  is  the  strong  centripetal  tendency  of  the  Jew- 
ish laboring  classes,  even  in  the  countries  where  no 
limitations  of  domicile  exist.  The  Ghetto  days  sur- 
vive in  the  Ghetto  ways;  the  walls,  which  were  at  once 
their  prison  and  their  barricade,  have  fallen,  but  they 
do  not  yet  know  what  to  do  with  their  liberty;  they 
have  still  to  be  taught  that  this  huddling  together, 
like  sheep  in  a  storm,  is  happily — with  scarcely  any 
qualification — an  anachronism.  And  that  a  most 
lamentable  one.  This  congestion  has  bred  a  sort  of 
economic  cannibalism,  which  devours,  without  digest- 
ing, the  best  energies  of  the  workers;  it  has  perpetu- 
ated a  monopoly — one  might  almost  call  it  a  monotony 
— of  trades,  with  well-nigh  internecine  results. " 

The  words  stirred  a  vague  chord  of  memory  in 
Leuw's  brain.  Where  had  he  heard  them  before? 
He  remembered.  He  had  thought  these  things  him- 
self, he  had  written  them  down  on  his  heart  in  let- 
ters of  fire,  the  day  he  first  had  gone  out  to  grapple 
with  the  world;  and  because  he  had  grown  so  familiar 
with  them,  it  came  to  him  with  the  force  of  a  revela- 
tion to  hear  them  uttered  by  other  lips. 

The  chief  desideratum,  then,"  continued  Phil,  "  is 
a  gradual,  but  unintermittent  process  of  decentraliza- 
tion. The  Jewish  workingmen  must  be  drafted  into 
other  occupations,  other  places  of  abode.  The  dis- 
persion will  be  the  more  difficult,  because  it  would 
appear  to  necessitate,  to  some  extent,  the  infringe- 
ment of  certain  of  the  most  time-honored  Penta- 
teuchal   ordinances  .  .  ." 


328  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  Yes,  Phil,  that  is  a  point  we  must  make  sure  of," 
said  Leuw  seriously.  '  The  Sabbath,  the  Dietary 
Laws,  are  matters  which  we  cannot  dispose  of  by  com- 
promise. It  would  be  a  shockingly  prodigal  thing  if, 
after  having  made  our  history  a  long  chronicle  of 
martyrdom  for  their  sake  chiefly,  we  should  now  let 
them  go  to  the  wall.  It  would  almost  jeopardize  our 
reputation  for  thrift,"  he  added  smilingly. 

"  But  we  shall  not  let  them  go  to  the  wall,"  was 
Phil's  deliberate  reply.  "  What  concerns  the  Dietary 
Laws,  adherence  to  them  requires  at  the  worst  nothing 
more  than  a  self-denial  in  certain  articles  of  food, 
which  are  not  a  sine  qua  non  of  physical  well-being. 
I  am  not  preaching  what  I  would  leave  for  others 
to  practice;  all  during  my  stay  at  Cambridge  I  was  a 
vegetarian.  Of  course,  the  seventh  day  question  is  a 
greater  obstacle,  but  by  no  means  an  insurmountable 
one.  There  are  a  number  of  occupations  wherein 
the  Jewish  operative  could,  in  exchange  for  his  Sat- 
urday off,  relieve  his  Christian  colleague  of  work  the 
latter  is  compelled  to  do  on  the  Sunday.  An  opening 
for  this  would  present  itself  in  farm-labor,  especially 
at  those  periods  of  the  year  when  the  soil  requires  un- 
interrupted attention.  Another  vast  province  would  be 
found — remember  I  am  just  speaking  off-hand — in 
iron  works,  such  as  rolling  mills,  where,  but  for  rare 
intervals,  the  machinery  has  to  be  kept  going  day  and 
night,  week  in  and  week  out;  and  again,  in  the  pro- 
vision of  electric  and  hydraulic  power,  which  are  ne- 
cessities every  day  of  the  year.  Then  comes  employ- 
ment on  railways,  omnibuses,  and  other  means  of 
traffic  and  communication;  also  superintendence  in 
public  buildings — libraries,  museums,  picture-gal- 
leries." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  329 

"  Yes,  the  '  exchange  '  system  ought  to  work  well," 
said  Leuw. 

"As  you  pointed  out,  Leuw,"  continued  Phil,  "  in 
the  case  of  these  two  staple  ordinances  of  our  creed 
we  cannot  make  a  compromise;  but  that  need  not  pre- 
vent our  making  allowances.  To  adopt  an  attitude 
rigorously  Calvinistic  would  only  end  by  begetting  a 
spirit  of  faction,  which,  as  it  were,  would  drive  wedges 
into  the  compactest  of  our  communal  interests.  Surely, 
it  is  not  too  much  to  expect  that  our  thorough-going, 
practical  philanthropy  should  find  its  counterpart  in 
a  little  doctrinal  charity.  Let  us  give  the  weaklings 
amongst  us  the  benefit  of  the  doubt;  say  they  suc- 
cumbed, not  to  the  promptings  of  their  personal  con- 
venience, but  to  the  irresistible  pressure  of  circum- 
stances. Let  us  believe  that  each  one  of  them  would 
be  a  conforming  Jew  if  he  could.  We  have  even  no 
right  to  grudge  the  loss  of  those  who  have  fallen  away 
entirely ;  they  are  the  ransom  we  must  pay  to  the  world 
for  our  emancipation.  But  those  who  seem  to  be 
halting  midway,  we  must,  without  any  reservation 
whatever,  recognize  for  our  own.  It  is  true,  as  you 
contend,  that  it  would  be  a  sad  waste  of  valuable 
effort,  were  we  to  resign  the  outward  observances  of 
our  faith  after  undergoing  so  many  ordeals  for  them; 
but  conversely,  these  same  ordeals  must  be  considered 
equally  futile,  if  they  have  not  ingrained  in  us  a  Juda- 
ism which  breathes  and  palpitates  without  drawing 
its  life  from  even  the  most  vitalizing  externals." 

"  Well?"  asked  Leuw  expectantly. 

"  I  have  finished,"  replied  Phil.  "  All  I  have  done 
was  to  clear  the  ground  for  you.  I  mean,"  he  ex- 
plained with  an  apologetic  laugh,  "  as  you  are  going 
to  pay  the  piper,  I  must  dance  to  your  tune." 


33° 


SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT 


"  I  am  willing  and  able  to  help,"  rejoined  Leuw 
soberly;  "  but  beyond  that  I  can  say  very  little.  You 
have  been  on  the  spot;  you  must  know  the  necessities 
of  the  case  much  better  than  I  do.  You  have  looked 
back,  you  have  looked  round;  you  surely  must  have 
looked  ahead.  Tell  me  what  is  to  be  done.  Perhaps 
I  shall  come  in  afterwards  with  a  suggestion  or  two 
of  my  own." 

"  Leuw,  I  feel  honored  by  your  commission,"  said 
Phil  with  suppressed  eagerness.  "  Yes,  I  have  looked 
ahead — almost  till  my  gaze  lost  itself  in  the  distance. 
But  for  all  that  I  kept  my  immediate  object,  well  in 
view.  Still,  as  your  notice  is  so  short,  you  must  for 
the  present  be  satisfied  with  a  mere  outline." 

Leuw  signaled  him  to  proceed. 

"  The  element  on  which  we  should  concentrate  our 
operations,"  continued  Phil  briskly,  "  would  be  the 
younger  growth  of  the  East  End  Jewry — there  where 
every  step  of  ours  would  be  on  well-explored  ground. 
The  older  generation  we  should  leave  out  of  the  ques- 
tion; working  backwards  is  always  a  thankless  task, 
and  in  this  case  an  almost  impossible  one.  The  most 
that  can  be  done  for  them  is  to  influence  their  condi- 
tions of  life  by  beneficial  measures  of  local  applica- 
tion, the  duty  of  which  devolves  on  the  institutions 
already  existing  for  this  specific  purpose." 

Leuw  nodded  assent.  "  Yes,  I  think  they  must  be 
left  to  their  fate,"  he  said  half  to  himself. 

"Very  well,  then,"  resumed  Phil;  "let  us  go  step 
by  step.  Our  only  chance  of  effecting  this  much- 
needed  decentralization  lies  with  the  young.  What 
happens  with  the  average  East  End  lad  of  Jewish 
parentage  after  he  leaves  school?    His  father — a  tailor 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  331 

or  a  bootmaker  in  ninety  cases  out  of  a  hundred — 
either  takes  him  into  his  own  workshop,  or  appren- 
tices him  elsewhere  to  one  of  these  trades  with  their 
numerous  subdivisions.  He  is  not  to  be  blamed; 
what  should  he  do?  He  would  gladly  save  his  child 
from  the  life  of  drudgery,  from  the  hand-to-mouth  ex- 
istence which  has  been  his  own  lot.  But  his  outlook 
on  the  world  is  so  circumscribed,  and  there  is  nobody 
to  advise  him.  And  so  the  lad  grows  up,  marries, 
raises  a  family,  and  adds  his  quota  to  the  congestion, 
or  at  least  keeps  it  constant.  And  then  he  repeats 
his  own  history  in  that  of  his  children. " 

"Very  true,"  commented  Leuw.  "Well?" 
"  Leuw,  we  must  stop  that  boy,  and  as  many  more 
of  him  as  it  is  possible,  from  getting  swallowed  up 
by  the  sweating-den.  When  he  leaves  his  elementary 
school,  there  must  be  waiting  for  him  a  more  ad- 
vanced school,  some  sort  of  training  establishment 
where  he  can  prepare  himself  for  some  one  of  the 
occupations  enumerated  above.  Of  course,  we  should 
have  to  adopt  a  careful  system  of  differentiation.  The 
boys  are  not  equally  gifted,  and  their  spheres  must 
naturally  be  in  accordance  with  their  bent  and  ca- 
pacity. But  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  they  would 
benefit,  each  in  his  degree.  Take  a  lad  whose  intelli- 
gence does  not  fit  him  for  anything  higher  than  a  'bus- 
driver.  Will  he  not  be  better  off  with  forty  shillings 
a  week  all  the  year  round  than  with  two  pounds 
weekly  for  only  six  months  out  of  the  year  and  a  very 
good  chance  of  consumption  thrown  in  for  perquisite? 
We  know,  of  course,  that  'bus-drivers  must  start  as 
stable-boys.  That  and  all  kindred  considerations 
we  must  leave  to  a  Location  Bureau,  which  may,  or 


^2  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

may  not,  form  an  annex  of  our  scheme.  But  we  may 
safely  base  our  calculations  on  the  fact  that  the  large 
majority  of  the  boys  with  whom  we  shall  be  dealing 
will  be  of  the  mental  status  required  by  the  higher 
grades  of  manual  occupations.  This  is  fortunate,  be- 
cause it  considerably  widens  their  scope  of  eventual 
employment.  It  is  quite  true  that  we  Jews  as  a  race 
have  never  taken  kindly  to  callings  involving  the  ap- 
plied sciences.  This  is  one  of  the  things  which  dis- 
count the  feasibility  of  the  colonization  of  Palestine. 
But  as  far  as  the  purpose  in  hand  is  concerned,  that 
need  net  alarm  us.  We  are  never  slow  to  rid  our- 
selves of  any  characteristic  deficiency,  so  long  as  a  tol- 
erable remedy  is  offered  us.  We  should  begin  the 
course  of  remedy  under  the  most  favorable  auspices — 
in  a  country  where  the  genius  for  mechanical  science  is 
one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  national  attributes. 
But  we  should  never  get  any  appreciable  results  with- 
out definitely  organized  action— organized  action  as 
embodied  in  this  proposed  foundation  of  ours.  Well, 
Leuw,  do  you  think  it  worth  the  founding?  ' 

A  troubled  look  came  into  Leuw's  eyes.  "  I  under- 
stand what  you  mean,"  he  said  slowly — "  a  training 
institute,  chiefly  of  a  technical  nature,  and  intended 
exclusively  for  our  young  coreligionists.  But  should 
we  really  be  supplying  a  want  by  making  it  essentially 
Jewish?  " 

'  I  can  see  you,  too,  are  frightened  at  the  denom- 
inational bogy,"  said  Phil,  smiling  confidently.  "  But 
I  think  I  shall  be  able  to  re-assure  you.  T  myself  am 
strongly  antagonistic  to  any  uncalled-for  separatism; 
in  fact,  it  was  due  to  my  opposition  that  an  attempt 
at  the  erection  of  a  Jewish  hospital  fell  through.     But 


A  TALE  OF   LONDON  JEWRY  333 

this  Institute  of  ours  must  be  sectarian,  or  not  at  all. 
I  know,  of  course,  that  there  are  non-denominational 
institutions  fulfilling  this  same  purpose.  Then,  why 
do  Jewish  parents  avail  themselves  of  these  so  spar- 
ingly? Partly  because  they  are  ignorant  of  their 
true  purport,  but  more  largely  because  they  are 
vaguely  afraid  of  subjecting  their  children  to  strange 
influences.  By  placing  our  Institute  on  a  strictly 
Jewish  basis,  1  am  certain  we  could  get  them  to  ap- 
preciate more  vividly  the  advantages  of  launching 
their  children  on  new  careers,  and,  in  the  second  in- 
stance, make  them  more  willing  to  endure  the  sacri- 
fices entailed  on  them  by  deferring  the  wage-earning 
of  their  children  for  some  years.  But,  Leuw,  I  have  a 
much  stronger  argument;  the  necessity  for  giving  it 
a  denominational  character  depends  on  far  loftier  mo- 
tives. Once  more — what  are  our  premises?  The  pres- 
sure on  the  Jewish  area.  We  propose  to  relieve  it  by 
the  removal  of  those  fitted  for  pursuits  outside  the 
East  End  routine.  We  are  going  to  make  them  enter 
on  new  surroundings,  new  interests,  and  a  mode  of  life 
contrary  to  all  their  past  experiences.  Then  comes 
the  question  whether  the  precepts  of  their  faith,  the 
fundamental  principles  inculcated  on  their  childhood, 
will  be  proof  against  the  on-rush  of  strange  and  pow- 
erful impressions.  Once  they  get  swept  off  their  feet, 
God  knows  how  far  they  may  drift. 

"  One  moment,  Phil,"  broke  in  Leuw.  "  You  seem 
to  be  contradicting  yourself  somewhat.  Didn't  you 
say  the  Jew's  history  should  have  made  his  religion 
an  instinct  with  him?" 

"  It  should,  and  let  us  hope  it  has,"  retorted  Phil; 
1  but  in  this  instance  we  must  leave  nothing  to  acci- 


334  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

dent.  Remember  what  is  at  stake.  We  are  taking 
the  very  piek  of  the  young  generation — for  prece- 
dence  of  admission  would  be  given  to  those  who  excel 
both  in  mental  and  physical  respects — and  propose  to 
put  their  allegiance  to  a  very  severe  test.  Should  they 
fail,  the  loss  to  us  would  be  considerable. .  That  is 
why  we  must  endeavor  manfully  to  imbue  their 
minds,  at  the  time  when  they  are  beginning  to  ripen 
into  understanding,  and  yet  retain  all  the  plasticity  of 
youth,  with  the  ineradicable  sense  of  our  memorable 
past  and  God-ordained  future.  And  to  do  that,  we  must 
hold  them  under  our  immediate  control.  But  there 
would  be  a  yet  more  positive  result.  These  young 
men  will  go  forth  into  the  outer,  larger  world  as  speci- 
men samples  of  their  brothers-in-faith.  It  will  de- 
pend much  on  the  ethical  training  we  have  given  them 
whether  or  not  they  will  do  something  towards  elim- 
inating false  prejudices  and  unjust  preconceptions 
from  the  hearts  of  those  who  know  us  only  from  sur- 
face observation  or  hearsay.  To  contend  that  the 
three  years  they  will  pass  in  a  sectarian  atmosphere 
will  impair  their  public  spirit,  their  sense  of  duty  to  our 
great  country,  is  nothing  but  a  gratuitous  slander. 
For  one  thing,  the  fostering  of  these  will  form  as  im- 
portant a  feature  in  the  curriculum  as  the  more  obvi- 
ous subjects.  And  it  has  yet  to  be  proved  that  a 
man's  loyalty  to  his  religion  disqualifies  him  for  a 
patriot. " 

Leuw  was  about  to  speak,  but  on  second  thoughts 
allowed  Phil  to  proceed  unchecked. 

'  It  would  be  premature  to  go  into  the  inner  details 
of  the  scheme.  But  this  much,  Leuw,  we  must  make 
up  our  minds  on:  there  can  be  no  half-heartedness 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  335 

about  it.  It  must  be  thorough.  Tuition  must  be 
given  during  the  regular  day  hours,  when  the  lads  are 
in  possession  of  their  undiscounted  energies.  Don't 
let  us  bungle  the  thing  by  holding  perfunctory  even- 
ing classes,  where  they  would  drop  in  casually,  worn 
out  with  a  long  day  spent  at  their  apprentice  work, 
to  tinker  away  in  the  laboratories  for  an  hour  or  so, 
just  to  fill  up  the  gap  between  then  and  bedtime. 
They  must  be  alive  to  the  sense  of  discipline  both  for 
mind  and  body — we  shall  have  much  to  do  to  remedy 
our  culpable  neglect  of  physique.  Whether  attend- 
ance should  be  entirely  free  or  not,  we  must  leave  for 
later  consideration.  But  we  should  not  be  far  wrong 
in  laying  down  as  a  law  that,  wherever  exceptional 
ability  should  be  discovered,  it  will  be  helped  on  to 
what  may  be  called  the  commissioned  ranks  of  the 
professions. " 

Leuw  got  up  from  his  chair,  and  silently  paced  the 
room  for  a  moment  or  two.  Then  he  turned  reso- 
lutely to  his  brother. 

'  All  right,  Phil,  you  shall  have  your  Institute,"  he 
said. 

"  My  Institute?     Why  not  ours?  "  queried  Phil. 

'  Well,  then,  ours.  I  only  wished  to  signify  that 
the  credit  of  the  initiative  belongs  to  you.  You  ask 
for  time  to  elaborate  the  details  of  the  Scheme;  I  must 
also  ask  for  time  to  consider  the  scale  on  which  it  is 
to  be  launched.  But,  meantime,  you  have  been  guilty 
of  a  curious  omission.  Your  list  of  possible  new 
occupations  makes  no  mention  of  service  in  the  army 
and  navy." 

Yes,  a  grave  omission,"  conceded  Phil  readily. 

Leuw  acknowledged  the  avowal  by  a  look,  and  con- 


336  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

tinued :  "  I  know  from  statistics  that  the  number  of 
Jews  serving  in  the  land  forces,  at  any  rate,  is  quite 
in  proportion  to  the  number  of  Jews  residing  in  this 
country.  Still,  I  want  it  to  be  much  more  than  that, 
and  should  make  preliminary  training  for  both  ser- 
vices one  of  the  more  prominent  traits  of  our  Institute. 
Do  you  remember  " — Leuw's  voice  became  a  little 
husky — "  do  you  remember  old  Christopher  Donald- 
son?" 

kk  Most  certainly  I  do,"  said  Phil,  almost  reproach- 
fully. 

"  The  night  before  he  died,  Phil,  he  told  me  we 
Jews  ought  to  have  a  standing  army,  of  men  of  our 
faith,  ready  to  send  wherever  any  of  our  coreligionists 
were  being  ill-used.  Of  course,  his  mind  was  wan- 
dering; but,  nevertheless,  there  was  a  great  moral  in 
his  words,  and  my  desire  to  justify  their  spirit  is  grow- 
ing stronger  day  by  day.  It  is  only  by  taking  on  our- 
selves the  national  burdens  of  Empire  to  a  greater 
extent  than  can  reasonably  be  demanded  of  us  that 
we  should  requite  our  obligations  to  the  mother-land, 
which  says  she  has  no  step-children.  For  that  we 
must  give  good  measure,  pressed  down  and  running 
over.  Fortunately,  we  shall  not  have  to  begin  at  the 
very  beginning;  already  this  duty  lias  come  home  to 
most  of  us.  I  have  heard  of  the  movement  for  Jew- 
ish Boys'  Brigades  recently  set  on  foot,  and  grasp  its 
splendid  possibilities." 

"  Then  you  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  it  is  meeting 
with  wide  recognition,"  said  Phil.  "  For  instance, 
two  months  ago,  I  understand,  its  funds  received  a 
welcome  contribution  *  in  memory  of  somebody  or 
other';  it  was  anonymous  and  I  forget  the  exact 
amount." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  337 

1  Only  two  hundred  pounds,"  said  Leuw. 

"  So  it  was  you  .  .   ?  " 

"  I  told  you  the  story  of  Sol  Myers,  the  Jewish  sol- 
dier who  was  killed  at  Inkerman  while  saving  Chris- 
topher from  certain  death.  I  had  long  been  on  the 
look-out  for  an  opportunity  of  fittingly  honoring  his 
memory." 

k  We  shall  honor  it  yet  more  by  making  his  story 
serve  as  text  and  sermon  to  the  young  hearts  with 
whom  our  task  lies,"  said  Phil  quietly.  "  Leuw, 
unless  I  am  much  mistaken,  we  have  done  good  work 
to-night.  It  would  be  presumptuous  to  attempt  a 
guarantee  even  to  ourselves,  much  more  to  others, 
whose  sympathies  with  us  are  as  yet  precarious.  We 
must  make  up  our  minds  to  disheartenings,  misunder- 
standings, disappointments.  But  as  long  as  we  shall 
not  fail  each  other,  we  can  look  to  the  main  issue  with 
confidence." 

"  Fail  each  other?  "  echoed  Leuw.  "  Surely  there  is 
no  need  to  bring  that  into  question." 

"  God  bless  you  for  that.  Are  you  going?  "  asked 
Phil,  as  he  saw  Leuw  take  up  his  hat. 

"Yes;  I  promised  mother  not  to  be  late.  But 
you're  coming  along,  aren't  you?" 

"  No,  thanks,  Leuw,  not  to-night.  I  shan't  be  fit 
for  any  decent  company  till  I  have  set  up  the  prepara- 
tory draft  of  our  Scheme  to  see  what  it  looks  like,  at 
least  on  paper.  I  expect  to  have  it  ready  for  you  by 
to-morrow  morning,  and  shall  bring  it  down." 

"  I  shall  be  waiting  for  you,  Phil.     So  long,  then." 

Phil  saw  him  to  the  door.  After  a  cordial  grip  of 
hands,  by  which,  more  plainly  than  by  words,  the  one 
assured  the  other  of  his  implicit  trust  and  understand- 
22 


338  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT 

ing,  Leuw  was  about  to  go  off,  when  a  sudden  after- 
thought seemed  to  turn  him  back. 

"  By  the  way,  what  has  become  of  that  dark  little 
girl — Effie,  I  think  her  name  was,"  he  said,  with  a 
casual  air. 

"  Oh,  she  has  grown  up,"  returned  Phil  rather 
curtly. 

"And — and  Dulcie?"  asked  Leuw  still  more 
casually. 

"  She  is  what  she  promised  to  be — a  woman  among 
thousands,  one  of  those  whom  any  man  must  consider 
it  a  privilege  to  know;  I,"  went  en  Phil,  his  tone  ring- 
ing and  animated,  "  I  am  tremendously  proud  of  her. 
But  you  must  find  out  for  yourself.  Of  course,  you 
intend  to  call  on  the  Duveens  soon?" 

"Yes,  certainly;  I  haven't  left  all  my  manners  in 
South  Africa,"  said  Leuw  with  a  jocularity  which 
sounded  hollow. 

And  then  he  went,  carrying  away  with  him  an  idea, 
which  seemed  correct,  if  only  because  it  was  so  in- 
stantaneous. He  contrasted  Phil's  glowing  estimate 
of  Dulcie  with  his  grudging  reference  to  Effie;  and 
many  a  man  who  has  had  more  time  to  bestow  on 
the  intricacies  of  psychological  analysis  than  Leuw 
Lipcott,  would  have  jumped  to  an  equally  false  con- 
clusion, 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

Despite  the  intention  Lenw  had  expressed  of  mak- 
ing an  early  call  on  the  Duveens,  a  whole  week  had 
gone  by,  and  he  had  not  yet  put  it  into  effect.  Phil 
did  not  press  him,  partly  because  he  was  himself  too 
much  engrossed  in  elaborating  the  details  of  their 
Scheme  in  accordance  with  the  provisional  indica- 
tions of  its  extent  Leuw  had  given  him,  and  partly 
because  he  relied  on  Leuw's  fixing  his  own  time,  as 
soon  as  the  pressure  of  work  incidental  to  the  estab- 
lishing of  his  London  offices  had  relaxed.  Perhaps, 
too,  Phil  conjectured,  he  required  a  little  grace  for 
acclimatizing  himself  once  more  to  the  conditions  of 
European  life,  with  which  his  long  sojourn  abroad 
might  naturally  have  brought  him  somewhat  out  of 
touch.  It  was  the  latter  consideration  which 
prompted  Phil  to  suggest  a  compromise. 

'  If  you  are  not  busy  to-night,  I  could  save  you  the 
trouble  of  a  formal  visit  to  Aunt's,"  he  said  to  Leuw, 
on  the  morning  of  the  eighth  day  after  the  latter's 
home-coming. 

'  Oh, — how?"  asked  Leuw,  his  tone  in  no  wise  pro- 
testing against  Phil's  insinuation  that  the  visit  might 
contain  no  particular  attraction  for  him. 

'  Because  Aunt  and  the  girls  are  coming  down  this 
way  to-night.  We  are  having  the  first  Happy  Even- 
ing of  the  season  for  the  children  of  the  Kettles' 
Street  P>oard  School,  where  Dulcie  and  I  are  mana- 
gers.    It  might  interest  you." 


34Q 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT 


"Of  course,  it  would,"  replied  Leuw  readily. 

'  And  after  that  they  are  coming  on  with  me  to  the 
Molesworth  Working  Men's  Institute;  I  am  down  to 
open  the  debate  there  to-night." 

4i  Then  I  shall  make  your  invitation  extend  to  that 
as  well,"  said  Leuw.  "  You  don't  expect  I  should 
miss  such  an  opportunity  of  finding  out  at  first  hand 
what  you  can  do?  " 

"If  anybody  had  told  me  a  month  ago  that  I  should 
have  you  among  my  audience  to-night — "  began  Phil. 
"  But  never  mind;  you  will  have  more  chances  than 
you  will  have  time  or  inclination  for  to  admire  my 
'  gift  of  the  gab/  "  he  added  more  lightly.  "  I  shall 
expect  you  at  Rupert  Street — half-past  six." 

Leuw  went  about  his  City  work  that  day  with  a 
strange  restlessness,  which  reminded  him  forcibly  of 
his  state  of  mind  on  another  day,  now  more  than 
eight  years  ago  and  yet  so  tangibly  near,  when  he  had 
paid  his  first,  and  so  far  also  his  last  visit,  to  the  house 
in  St.  John's  Wood.  More  than  once  he  was  on  the 
point  of  getting  thoroughly  angry  with  himself.  It 
mortified  him  to  think  that  the  man's  hold  on  himself 
was  no  stronger  than  the  boy's  had  been.  And  what 
was  his  justification  for  all  this  ferment  of  mind?  The 
immediate  prospect  of  meeting  once  more  the  girl — 
of  course,  she  was  a  woman  now — who  during  his 
hobbledehoy  period,  he  fancied  then,  had  upset  his 
emotional  equilibrium.  True,  no  woman  had  suc- 
ceeded in  doing  that  since,  or  had  even  beguiled  him 
into  the  fancy  that  she  had  succeeded;  but  what  did 
that  count?  Surely  he  had  disciplined  himself  firmly 
enough  into  the  resolve  that  no  stranger  should  be- 
come necessary  to  his  self-content — so  firmly  that  it 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  341 

had  required  the  necessity  of  setting  his  affairs  on  a 
finally  stable  footing  to  bring  him  back  again  into  the 
reach  of  probably  the  only  woman  who  might  jeop- 
ardize that  resolve.  And  then  his  temptation  for 
self-anger  grew  stronger  for  his  not  daring  to  own  to 
himself  the  truth.  The  necessity,  which,  as  he  had 
just  alleged,  had  brought  him  back,  was  not  so  much 
a  primary  motive  as  an  eagerly-seized  excuse.  It 
gave  him  at  last  the  long-desired  plea  for  putting  his 
fate  to  the  hazard,  which  his  self-consciousness — his 
self-distrust  he  should  rather  call  it — had  so  far  de- 
nied him.  This  woman,  who  at  best  should  only  have 
been  a  mere  memory  with  him,  had  been  as  vivid  and 
important  an  item  in  the  economy  of  his  life  as  the 
principal  events  on  which  his  fortunes  had  hinged. 
He  knew  her  as  intimately.  She  had  grown  up  be- 
neath his  very  eyes,  as  it  were,  in  the  letters  she  had 
written  him,  according  to  her  promise,  at  rare  though 
regular  intervals.  He  had  noted  the  frank  impulsive- 
ness of  her  teens  change  to  the  serene  sedateness 
betokening  a  sense  of  more  instant  womanhood.  Her 
irrelevant,  girlish  prattle  on  everything  and  nothing 
had  by  degrees  divested  itself  of  its  more  personal 
tone,  and  had  become  limited  to  references  of  merely 
general  import.  He  still  remembered  the  shock  it 
had  given  him  the  first  time  he  had  seen  the  formal 
"  Dear  Mr.  Lipcott  "  take  the  place  of  the  customary 
"  Dear  Leuw  "  in  the  apostrophe  of  her  letters,  and 
that  without  any  further  allusion  to  the  innovation. 
Nor  had  he  been  bold  enough  to  challenge  the  change, 
but  had  tacitly  acknowledged  his  perception  of  its 
appropriateness  by  substituting,  in  his  turn,  "  Dear 
Miss   Duveen "   in   his  next  reply  to   her.     And   yet 


342 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 


he  could  not  say  that  her  words  breathed  a  spirit 
of  chilling  distantness.  The  almost  exultant  pride 
wherewith  she  touched  on  Phil's  achievements  was 
surely  not  a  feeling  she  would  have  manifested  to  one 
whom  she  wished  to  consider  as  outside  her  immediate 
radius;  indeed,  it  even  seemed  to  hint  her  satisfac- 
tion at  their  possession  of  a  common  interest.  Dur- 
ing the  last  few  days  Leuw  had  come  to  regard  this 
satisfaction  in  a  new  and,  as  he  thought,  more  proper 
light.  And  that  being  so,  why  this  absurd  flurry, 
this  focussed  expectancy?  He  made  an  involuntary 
halt  outside  a  post-office,  with  a  shadowy  idea  of  wir- 
ing to  Phil  some  excuse  for  not  keeping  his  appoint- 
ment for  the  evening.  After  all,  it  was  safe  to  keep 
on  the  right  side  of  things.  .  .  .  And  then  he  hurried 
on,  smothering  an  exclamation  of  disgust.  He  was 
acting  like  a  child  which  has  happened  to  say  "  boo  ' 
to  itself,  and  then  runs  away  from  an  imaginary 
danger. 

"  You  are  punctual,"  said  Phil,  as  Leuw  entered  the 
rooms  at  Rupert  Street. 

"  One  of  my  redeeming  faults,''  smiled  Leuw. 
"What  are  you  doing  there?     Still  at  the  Scheme?'1 

"  I  was  just  glancing  through  my  draft  again." 

"  It's  a  great  shame  that  I  leave  all  the  work  on 
your  shoulders,"  said  Leuw. 

"  I  only  wish  it  were  twice  as  heavy,  Leuw.  What 
makes  me  wonder  is  that  you  should  be  content  to 
leave  it  all  to  me.  You  always  were  so  keen  set  on  do- 
ing things  for  yourself  in  the  old  days.  Has  the 
leopard  changed  his  spots?" 

"  No,  but  a  wise  man  knows  a  wiser  when  he  meets 
him.  I  should  only  hamper  you  by  interfering  at 
present.     My  time  will  come  too." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  343 

"Will  it  come  soon?"  asked  Phil,  with  obvious 
anxiety. 

"  I  am  quite  as  impatient  for  it  as  you  are,"  replied 
Leuw. 

'  It  was  wrong  of  me  to  ask,  seeing  that  I  had  your 
assurance  already,"  said  Phil  apologetically. 

'  Nonsense,  Phil ;  you  don't  think  I  am  suffering 
from  lung  complaint  that  I  must  husband  my  breath?  " 

Phil  laughed,  and  proceeded  to  put  on  his  overcoat. 

"  We  must  be  off  at  once,  we  are  late  already,"  he 
cut  short  the  discussion.     "  Luckily  we  haven't  far  to 

go." 

A  walk  of  five  minutes  brought  them  to  the  school. 

"  They  are  here,"  said  Phil;  "  I  can  see  the  carriage 
waiting  at  the  other  end  of  the  street.  This  way, 
Leuw." 

Leuw  strained  his  eyes  before  entering  to  catch  a 
glimpse  of  the  thing  which  to  his  boyish  fancy  had 
stood  for  everything  that  was  great  and  desirable  on 
this  earth.  There  was  something  provocative  in  the 
act,  as  though  he  were  eager  to  obtain  a  standard  of 
comparison  between  his  past  and  present  impressions. 
But  he  was  foiled;  just  at  that  moment  the  carriage 
crawled  round  the  corner.  Leuw  laughed  to  himself, 
as  though  somebody  had  played  him  an  unsuccessful 
practical  joke.  Where  the  joke  came  in,  he  could  not 
exactly  say;  but  he  felt  vaguely  grateful  at  having  con- 
trived enough  equanimity  at  the  prospect  of  meeting 
Dulcie  as  to  indulge  in  even  an  apology  of  a  laugh. 
Swiftly  he  followed  Phil  into  the  hall  at  the  bottom  of 
the  corridor. 

"  Just  wait  here  a  moment,"  said  Phil  as  they  got 
into  the  doorway. 


344  S0NS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

Leuw  was  nothing  loath.  Dazed  and  deafened,  he 
tried  to  take  in  the  screaming,  scrambling  hurly-burly 
of  about  two  hundred  youngsters,  in  knickerbocker 
or  petticoat,  making  merry  in  real  good  carte -blanche 
fashion.  The  area  at  the  disposal  of  the  frolickers  was 
somewhat  limited,  but  they  seemed  endowed  with  a 
marvelous  knack  for  making  every  one  inch  of  ground 
go  the  length  of  a  yard.  Half  amused,  half  solicitous, 
Leuw  watched  Phil's  laborious  progress  through  the 
turmoil,  each  one  of  his  steps  threatening  havoc  and 
overthrow  to  the  blindly  cannoning  little  ones.  So 
it  seemed  quite  a  long  time  before  Phil  managed  to 
gain  the  other  extremity  of  the  hall,  where  a  tallish 
young  lady,  standing  with  her  back  to  him,  was  busily 
turning  one  end  of  a  skipping-rope.  Leuw  more  than 
guessed  who  she  was,  and  it  was  with  a  strained  sort 
of  curiosity  that  he  noted  the  effect  of  Phil's  message 
upon  her.  The  sharp  turn  of  her  head  in  his  direc- 
tion ought  to  have  gratified  him.  And  presently  she 
was  making  towards  him,  steering  Her  course  cleanly 
and  surely  through  the  living  labyrinth,  which  seemed 
specially  intended  to  give  a  clearer  setting  to  her 
dexterous  yet  dignified  grace.  The  next  instant  she 
was  standing  before  him,  holding  out  her  hand  and 
smiling  at  him  frankly  as  she  said: 

"  It  is  very  good  of  you  to  come  here,  Mr.  Lipcott. 
I  hope  you  are  going  to  make  yourself  useful  to- 
night." 

■  I'm  afraid  I  don't  know  how  to — this  isn't  much 
in  my  line,"  replied  Leuw,  smiling  back  at  her  tremu- 
lously. 

'  Never  mind,  you  will  soon  pick  it  up;  and  if  you 
are  not  too  proud  to  be  taught,  I  shall  give  you  a  hint 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  345 

or  two.  Come  over  to  my  '  beat ' — we  mustn't  get  in 
the  way  of  the  other  helpers.  Don't  be  frightened — 
the  kiddies  don't  mind  a  little  tumble;  it's  all  in  the 
fun,"  she  laughed,  as  she  saw  him  take  a  hesitating 
step  forward.  "  Mother  is  upstairs  in  the  workroom, 
and  Effie — you  remember  her;  don't  you? — is  at  the 
piano.  She  started  dutifully  with  the  barrel-organ 
tunes,  and  then,  as  usual,  lost  her  way  into  Beethoven. 
Fancy  playing  the  *  Kreutzer  Sonata '  to  little  mites  of 
ten.     Fortunately  nobody  can  hear  her." 

Leuw  kept  close  in  her  wake  to  take  advantage  of 
the  thoroughfare  she,  as  it  were,  carved  out  for  him. 
He  knew  very  little  about  the  "  Kreutzer  Sonata,"  and 
so  could  not  judge  of  its  absurdity  as  a  musical  enter- 
tainment for  children.  What  he  could  judge  of,  and 
that  very  accurately,  was  the  pleasure  the  manner  of 
her  welcome  had  given  him.  It  was  so  honestly  spon- 
taneous and  unpremeditated;  it  held  no  suggestion  of 
loose,  very  loose,  ends  of  acquaintanceship  having  to 
be  picked  up  and  knotted  together  again.  Indeed, 
anybody  not  cognizant  of  the  true  state  of  things 
might  have  imagined  that,  after  parting  overnight, 
they  had  met  here  by  appointment.  But  it  was  not 
so  much  her  lack  of  surprise  at  seeing  him  that  pleased 
him;  no  doubt  Phil  had  informed  her  of  his  return; 
it  was  the  absence  of  any  sign  of  curious  scrutiny, 
which  under  the  circumstances  might  have  been  for- 
given in  the  best  of  good  breeding.  He  also  had 
scarcely  given  her  a  critical  glance;  he  felt  it  was  quite 
unnecessary.  Perhaps  he,  too,  had  become  as 
familiar  to  her,  inwardly  and  outwardly,  through  his 
letters  as  she  to  him.  And  then  his  brows  contracted 
darkly.     Since  when  had  he  taken  to  flattering  him- 


346  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

self  so  egregiously?  He  knew  what  he  knew,  or 
guessed,  and  yet  .  .  . 

"  How  can  you  get  yourself  into  a  brown  study 
amid  this  din?"  laughed  Dulcie  at  his  elbow. 

"  Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  stammered  in  con- 
fusion, "  I — I — what  is  it  you  want,  my  dear?  " 

He  bent  down  to  the  round-faced  little  girl,  blank- 
eted in  a  huge,  white  pinafore,  who  was  lisping  up  at 
him: 

"  Pleathe,  mithter  man,  thir,  you  take  one  end  the 
rope,  and  pleathe,  lady,  you  the  other.  I  like  thkip- 
ping  with  two  tall  peopleth  turnin'." 

And  thrusting  the  rope-end  without  more  ado  into 
Leuw's  hand,  she  stood  ready  for  action. 

"  I  am  afraid  there  is  nothing  to  be  done  but  to 
humor  this  very  positive  young  person,"  said  Dulcie 
as  soon  as  her  amusement  permitted  her  to  speak. 

"  I  think  so,  too,"  agreed  Leuw  with  a  rather  rueful 
smile. 

He  began  with  a  stiff  awkwardness  which  did  not 
suit  the  positive  young  person  at  all,  and  her  shrill 
directions  for  increase  of  speed  compelled  him  to 
apply  himself  to  the  business  more  seriously. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Lipcott,  you  are  bcoming  quite  an 
expert,"  Dulcie  rallied  him. 

"  One  might  as  soon  do  a  thing  well  if  one  does  it 
at  all,"  replied  Leuw  with  labored  cheerfulness. 

"  Ninety-seven,  ninety-eight,  ninety-nine — hun- 
dred," yelled  the  positive  young  person,  as  she  col- 
lapsed, panting  triumphantly:  "  Never  got  up  to  a 
hundred  before." 

"  Did  you  hear  that,  Mr.  Lipcott?  "  said  Dulcie,  this 
time  only  half  playfully.     "  You  have  got  your  reward 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  347 

already.  By  doing  your  best  you  have  enabled  other 
people  to  do  better.  No,  dearie,  you  mustn't  run 
away  without  thanking  the  -gentleman." 

'  Please,  mithter  man,  thank  you,  and  don't  look 
tho  worried,"  obeyed  the  positive  young  person  as  she 
turned  to  defend  herself  vigorously  against  certain 
detractors  of  her  prowess,  who  had  insinuated  that 
she  really  had  not  "  done  the  hundred,"  inasmuch  as 
she  had  counted  "  fifty-nine — seventy." 

Leuw  had  to  pay  the  penalty  of  his  success  as  a 
u  turner,"  by  being  kept  at  his  post  until  the  time 
for  the  magic  lantern  show  had  arrived.  Here  again, 
under  Dulcie's  captaincy,  he  did  yeoman's  work  in 
helping  to  get  the  children  seated  expeditiously.  Phil 
had  not  been  much  in  evidence;  immediately  after 
handing  Leuw  over  to  Dulcie,  he  had  taken  up  his 
stand  at  the  piano,  where  he  listened  to  Effie  with  a 
rapt  look  that  seemed  intended  to  compensate  her  for 
the  inattention  of  the  others.  It  was  kind  and  consid- 
erate of  him,  thought  Leuw,  though  Effie,  from  the 
recollection  he  had  of  her,  hardly  appeared  the  sort  of 
girl  to  take  the  heedlessness  of  her  audience  much  to 
heart.  Once  or  twice  he  had  noticed  Dulcie  cast  a 
fugitive  glance  at  the  pair,  and  each  time  something 
like  a  perplexed  smile  had  stolen  about  the  corners  of 
her  mouth.  Shortly  before  the  magic  lantern  began 
operations,  Phil  brought  Effie  up. 

"  If  the  mountain  refuses  to  come  to  Mahomet — 
welcome  back  to  England,  Mr.  Lipcott,"  she  said 
pleasantly. 

"  You  were  at  the  piano,  and  I  remembered  you 
did  not  like  to  be  interrupted,"  smiled  Leuw  in  ex- 
tenuation. 


348  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  Did  you?  What  a  pity  you  should  have  wasted 
your  memory  on  such  a  trifle." 

"  Still  I  did  not  do  so  at  the  expense  of  anything 
else  I  should  have  remembered,"  replied  Leuw,  fall- 
ing into  her  vein. 

"  Anything  else?     What,  for  instance?' 

"  Don't  you  answer  her,"  broke  in  Dulcie;  "  if  you 
humor  Effie  the  least  little  bit,  she  will  have  you  in  the 
thick  of  a  wrangle  without  your  having  the  faintest 
notion  how  you  committed  yourself  to  it — ah!  here 
comes  mother." 

Leuw  found  no  difficulty  in  making  his  heart  re- 
spond to  the  evident  sincerity  of  Mrs.  Duveen's  greet- 
ing. His  hand  pressed  hers  again  and  again  in  grati- 
tude for  her  words :  "  I  am  so  glad — for  your  moth- 
er's sake."  They  reminded  him  how  much  this  wo- 
man had  done  to  help  his  mother  to  bear  the  burden  of 
her  loneliness. 

The  lantern  slides  were  a  great  success,  at  least  so 
Leuw  opined  from  the  shouts  of  delight  wherewith 
the  children  punctuated  their  progress.  Of  the  actual 
display  he  saw  very  little,  because  his  attention  was 
absorbed  by  a  living  picture  in  his  more  immediate 
neighborhood,  to  wit,  Dulcie  seated  on  a  chair  with 
a  peaky-faced  little  hunchback  on  her  lap.  The  pa- 
thetic trust  with  which  the  little  fellow  nestled  against 
her  seemed  to  set  upon  her  a  seal  of  loving  reliability; 
his  helplessness  brought  out  in  relief  the  splendid 
strength  of  her  young  womanhood.  One  had  but  to 
look  at  her  to  know  that  here  was  one  whose  soul  was 
clamoring  for  high  responsibilities — the  higher,  the 
more  acceptable.  Leuw's  heart  heaved  almost  into  his 
mouth:  it  was  many  a  day  since  he  had  seen  so  gen- 
erous, so  inspiriting  a  sight. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  349 

> 

The  "  Happy  Evening  "  was  over.  It  had  ended 
up  with  the  presentation  of  an  orange  and  a  penny 
cake  to  each  of  the  children  as  they  filed  out.  Leuw 
helped  in  the  distribution  by  handing  the  oranges 
from  the  basket  to  Dulcie — a  task  in  which  he  did 
not  cover  himself  with  glory.  More  than  one  of  the 
oranges  slipped  through  his  grasp,  and  he  had  the 
humiliation  of  hearing  the  positive  young  person 
call  him  "butter-fingers"  under  her  breath;  but  then 
the  positive  young  person  could  not  yet  possibly 
know  how  easily  sometimes  the  casual  touch  of  a 
woman's  hand  will  disorganize  a  whole  man,  though 
on  all  other  occasions  his  gripping  capacity  may  be 
that  of  an  octopus. 

The  carriage  had  been  asked  to  wait,  because  Mrs. 
Duveen  was  returning  home  by  herself.  She  did  not 
go  on  to  the  debate,  as  the  somewhat  delicate  state 
of  her  chest  precluded  the  idea  of  a  two  hours'  stay 
in  an  atmosphere  which  was  a  blend  of  all  the  known 
varieties  of  shag-fumes  emanating  from  clay  pipes 
long  deserving  of  superannuation. 

The  narrowness  of  the  pavement,  by  giving  it  an 
air  of  necessity,  took  all  appearance  of  design  out  of 
the  way  the  young  people  paired  off — Phil  and  Effie 
in  front,  Leuw  and   Dulcie  behind. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  our  '  Happy  Evenings,'  Mr. 
Lipcott?  "  asked  Dulcie,  after  Mrs.  Duveen  had  waved 
her  final  good-by  from  the  carriage. 

' 1  believe  they  are  very  well  in  their  way,"  replied 
Leuw. 

"  That  is  not  a  particularly  liberal  tribute,"  smiled 
Dulcie.  "  To  my  mind  they  are  perhaps  the  most 
satisfactory  of  all  our  attempts  at  doing  good.    There 


350  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

can  be  no  mistake  about  the  results;  you  are  your 
own  eye-witness  of  them." 

"  Yes,  but  results  which  are  immediate,  are,  as  a 
rule,  small;  at  least  that  is  a  law  in  commerce,  you 
may  happen  to  know,  Miss  Duveen." 

"  Still,  such  things  depend  chiefly  on  the  size  of 
one's  aspirations,"  said  Dulcie  pleasantly. 

Leuw  stopped  short  for  an  instant:  was  she  refer- 
ring- to  the  magnitude  of  his  own  Scheme?  Then  re- 
membering that  according  to  compact  the  Scheme 
was,  for  the  present,  to  be  a  secret  between  himself 
and  Phil,  he  continued: 

"  No,  what  I  mean  is  only  that  there  hardly  seems 
much  call  for  the  effort.  You  might  have  achieved 
as  much  by  leaving  the  children  to  spend  the  hour  or 
two  in  their  improvised  playgrounds — the  streets. 
That  might  at  least  foster  their  spirit  of  independence. 
Their  amusement  here  gave  me  an  impression  of — 
of  the  artificial." 

"  I  am  glad  you  had  the  grace  to  hesitate  over  the 
word,"  laughed  Dulcie.  "  Surely  what  you  meant  to 
say  was  '  systematic'  More  method  in  their  play 
might  be  productive  of  more  method  in  their  work." 

"  Probably;  then  what  becomes  of  the  immediate- 
ness  of  your  results?" 

"  I  admit,  Mr.  Lipcott,  you  compel  me  to  shift  my 
ground.  But  I  do  not  feel  the  least  bit  disconcerted. 
The  loss  is  yours.  You  men  who  have  been  out  and 
about  in  the  world,  and  know  on  what  a  grand  scale 
it  is  built,  have  lost  the  taste  for  the  miniature.  I 
am  extremely  sorry  for  you  and  your  like.  You  must 
go  about  continually  hitting  your  heads  against  the 
ceiling." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  351 

"  Thank  you  for  sympathizing  with  our  bumps/' 
bantered  Leuw.  4k  Of  course — if  that  will  relieve  your 
anxiety — we  get  used  to  them  after  a  time." 

"  So  much  the  worse  for  you,"  returned  Dulcie 
quite  vehemently.  "  That  means  you  have  become 
hopelessly  callous.  When  a  man  ceases  to  deal  with 
the  pettinesses,  the  negligible  nothings  of  life,  he  has 
ceased  to  deal  with  life  itself." 

'  Don't  tell  me  that,  Miss  Duveen,  or  you  will  end 
by  making  me  quite  sorry  for  myself.  And  just  at 
present  I  don't  want  to  feel  sorry — I  want  to  feel 
glad." 

"Glad?     What  of?" 

"  Of  the  opportunity  to  thank  you  for  having  occa- 
sionally remembered  a  poor  exile." 

*  Oh,  that  was  nothing,"  was  the  off-hand  reply. 
'  You  should  not  have  said  that,"  observed  Leuw 
quickly. 

"Why  not?" 

'  Because  you  are  cutting  the  ground  from  under 
your  own  attitude  by  showing  the  two  or  more  views 
which  may  be  taken  of  everything.  What  you  con- 
sider a  mere  nothing  I  consider  a  great  deal." 

"  But  I  refuse  to  let  you  take  this  poor,  unfortunate 
'  nothing '  in  the  sense  you  do,"  laughed  Dulcie. 
'  Please  construe  it  into  an  insufficient  cause  for  your 
gratitude.  I  liked  writing  to  you,  because  it  gave  me 
an  opportunity  of  putting  things  down  black  on  white, 
and  enabled  me  to  get  a  clearer  conception  of  them, 
which  otherwise  I  should  have  gone  without.  So  you 
see  the  burden  of  obligation  rests  heavily  on  me." 

"  I  am  glad  to  have  been  of  service  to  you,"  replied 
Leuw,  with  a  dim  sort  of  anger  at  her  words.     And 


352  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

yet,  to  do  her  justice,  what  other  way  could  he  ex- 
pect her  to  put  it? 

"  Of  course,  you  are  going  to  tell  me  something  of 
your  impressions  and  experiences,"  she  went  on 
briskly. 

Leuw  promised  readily,  though  with  a  keen  sense 
of  the  hypocrisy  of  his  promise.  What  had  he  to  tell 
her  in  addition  to  the  rather  lengthy  observations  on 
country  and  people  which  had  been  the  text  of  his 
letters  to  her?  It  struck  him  that  she  must  be  aware 
of  this  herself,  and  that  her  request  was  only  a  sub- 
terfuge for — for  what?  Meeting  with — talking  to  him 
again?  This  time  he  did  not  even  rebuke  himself  for 
his  sanguinencss;  it  was  too  childish  to  be  treated 
seriously. 

Another  minute  or  two  brought  them  to  the 
"  Molesworth."  Outside  the  club  building  lounged 
a  group  of  laborers,  most  of  them  with  their  tool- 
bag  slung  across  their  shoulder.  They  drew  back 
respectfully  to  allow  Phil  and  his -party  to  pass  in; 
that,  and  a  chorus  of  "  good  evenin',  sir,"  showed  that 
Phil  was  not  unknown  to  them.  He  responded 
cheerily. 

"  We  was  waitin'  to  see  if  you'd  turn  up  all  right, 
sir,  if  not,  we'd  be  straight  off  home/'  replied  one  of 
the  men  in  answer  to  his  question  why  they  did  not 
prefer  the  warmth  inside. 

The  same  manifestations  of  acquaintance  and  es- 
teem greeted  Phil  as  he  stepped  into  the  hall.  It  was 
a  few  minutes  to  eight,  and  he  had  just  time  for  a 
handshake  with  the  chairman  for  the  evening — one 
of  the  more  prominent  members  of  the  School  Board 
for  the  metropolis. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  353 

"  We  can  always  count  on  a  good  '  house  '  when 
you. are  down  to  speak,  Mr.  Duveen,"  said  the  latter 
pleasantly. 

And  indeed,  by  the  time  Phil  rose  to  his  feet,  the 
hall  was  quite  full,  and  overflowed  into  the  corridor. 
Nevertheless,  when  he  had  concluded  his  opening 
sentences,  he  had  got  his  audience  into  the  state  of 
expectant  restraint  which  puts  a  poor  speaker  into  a 
flurry  and  a  good  one  on  his  mettle.  And  Phil  be- 
longed to  the  latter  category.  The  subject  of  debate 
was  one  of  the  important  questions  of  social  reform, 
which  are  always  more  or  less  agitating  the  prole- 
tariat mind.  It  needed  but  little  examination  of  Phil's 
method  of  speaking  to  discover  how  he  managed  to 
obtain  his  hold  over  his  somewhat  difficult  audience. 
He  gauged  their  intelligence  to  a  hairbreadth,  it 
seemed;  he  kept  closely  within  their  educational  com- 
pass, and  yet  skilfully  avoided  all  appearance  of  men- 
tal condescension.  His  phrases  were  homely,  collo- 
quial, without  having  an  air  of  being  specially  brought 
in  to  suit  the  occasion.  And  then  there  could  be  no 
doubt  as  to  the  lucidity  of  his  thought,  the  logic  of 
his  deductions,  the  unerring  aim  with  which  he  drove 
home  his  arguments.  But  above'  all,  he  appeared  to 
possess  the  happy  knack  of  appealing  as  man  to  man, 
of  addressing  himself  to  each  one  of  his  listeners  indi- 
vidually and  separately,  and  flattering  him  by  mak- 
ing him  feel  the  only  one  present  on  whom  the  full 
force  and  drift  of  the  speaker  was  concentrated. 

Such  was  the  impression  left  on  Leuw,  who  fol- 
lowed his  brother  spell-bound  and  breathless.     He  had 
come  there  fully  prepared  to  guard  against  any  natural 
and  instinctive  bias  in  favor  of  Phil;  he  would  take 
23 


354 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


him  on  his  own  merits  wholly  and  solely.  But  he  now 
found  that  his  precaution  had  been  unnecessary.  The 
man  who  spoke  and  carried  him  away  headlong  was 
not  his  brother  Phil  at  all;  it  was  some  stranger, 
whose  acquaintance  he  was  making  here  for  the 
first  time.  He  thought  of  Phil  as  he  had  known  him 
during  the  various  phases  of  his  career — as  the  timid 
little  lad,  ever  ready  to  catch  hold  of  his  mother's 
apron  strings,  as  the  high-spirited,  self-confident 
public  school  boy,  as  the  young  man,  sobered  and 
dignified  by  the  coming  prestige  of  his  university 
course,  and  finally  as  the  strong,  fervid  thinker,  the 
calmly  reasoning  enthusiast,  whom  he  had  found  on 
his  recent  return.  And  now  he  saw  him  under  the 
most  unfamiliar  aspect  of  all — as  the  master  mind 
swaying  the  moment,  as  the  potential  leader  of  men, 
giving  token  of  his  possibilities  by  the  ease  and 
effortlessness  wherewith  he  converted  the  listening 
multitude  into  an  instrument  that  quivered  respon- 
sively  to  his  touch. 

At  least  one  other  person  seemed  to  see  him  in  that 
role.  Dulcie  and  Effie  had  been  accommodated  with 
seats  on  the  platform,  while  Leuw  had  expressed  him- 
self content  with  a  place  in  the  front  row  of  the  body 
of  the  hall.  It  was  only  afterwards  that  he  realized 
what  had  prompted  him  thereto — the  unconscious  de- 
sire to  give  himself  at  last  the  luxury  of  a  full  and 
undisturbed  view  of  Dulcie's  face.  So  far  he  had  only 
guessed  at  it;  and  it  was  certainly  due  to  him  that  he 
should  find  out  how  near  he  had  come  to  the  truth. 
Not  at  all  near,  he  had  to  admit  as,  toward  the  end  of 
Phil's  speech,  he  finally  mustered  up  sufficient  cour- 
age to  glance  at  her.  It  was  then  that  he  became 
aware  of  the  deep  effect  Phil  must  be  producing;  was 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  355 

it  not  made  clear  to  him  by  her  half-parted  lips,  giving 
a  peep  of  white-gleaming  teeth,  by  the  flush  in  her 
cheeks,  by  the  proud  look  of  hero-worship  in  her 
eyes?  Leuw  was  glad  to  see  her  thus;  now  he  had  his 
impression  of  her  in  full.  This  picture  of  her  was  a 
fitting  pendant  to  the  one  in  which  the  little  crippled 
boy  figured;  here  she  was  the  woman  of  great  aims, 
noble  aspirations,  glorying  to  hear  them  nobly  voiced. 
Phil  was  doing  very  well;  he  was  building  up  his  case 
impregnably;  he  was  leaving  no  weak  spot  through 
which  his  opponent  might  break  and  wreak  havoc 
in  the  phalanx  of  his  facts.  But,  whether  he  knew 
it  or  not,  his  greatest  achievement  that  evening  were 
those  half-parted  lips,  those  roseate-flushed  cheeks. 
And  Leuw  wondered  how  many  acres  of  his  freehold 
property  he  would  give  in  charity,  if  that  would  mean 
his  putting  but  a  shadow  of  that  look  into  her  eyes. 
His  gaze  rested  for  a  moment  on  Effie;  the  cold  placid- 
ness  of  her  mien  almost  stung  him  to  anger.  How 
dared  she  remain  cold  and  indifferent,  when  the  other 
one  took  no  pains  to  prevent  her  very  soul  from  shin- 
ing out  undisguised? 

Phil  was  succeeded  by  the  opposer  of  the  motion, 
who  was  heard  with  a  sort  of  polite  tolerance.  After 
that  there  were  a  few  floundering  attempts  on  the  part 
of  the  audience  to  get  up  a  discussion,  and  then  Phil 
replied.  He  took  the  opposer's  arguments,  and  to 
everybody's  huge  delight  rent  them  limb  from  limb. 
He  had  reserved  his  peroration  for  the  reply  speech, 
and  when  he  finished,  he  came  in  for  a  demonstration, 
the  sincerity  of  which  was  manifest. 

"  God  bless  yer,  sir/'  croaked  a  wizened  old  navvy 
as  the  tumult  was  subsiding.  "  You're  the  only  one 
o'  the  swells  what  understands  us," 


356  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

And  the  crowd  yelled  corroboration. 

The  hall  was  emptying  slowly.  The  people  who 
had  occupied  the  platform  remained  behind  to  avoid 
the  crush.  Phil  was  the  centre  of  a  small  congratu- 
latory throng.  Leuw  thought  he  chafed  a  little  at 
being  hemmed  in,  and  stepped  on  to  the  platform  with 
half  an  idea  of  coming  to  his  relief.  At  that  moment 
Phil  emerged,  to  be  met  by  Dulcie's  intense:  4  Oh, 
Phil."  Phil  acknowledged  it  hastily  though  heartily, 
cast  an  affectionate  nod  at  Leuw,  and  passed  on  to 
where  Effie  was  standing  a  little  way  from  the  others. 
The  member  of  the  School  Board  was  exchanging  re- 
marks with  Dulcie,  and  so  Leuw  was  left  to  his  own 
resources,  within  ear-shot  of  his  brother  and  Effie. 

"Well?"  asked  Phil,  with  a  curious  eagerness  in 
his  voice. 

Effie  did  not  answer  immediately.  "  I  suppose  you 
were  successful ;  at  least  they  all  seemed  to  think  so," 
she  said  finally. 

"And  you?'  Phil's  eagerness  had  changed  to 
anxiety. 

"  Candidly,  I  did  not.  All  the  time  you  were  speak- 
ing, it  was  like  seeing  you  walk  about  in  corduroys. 
I  only  want  to  hear  you  at  your  best,  say  at  the 
'  Eighty  Club,'  or  generally  where  you  can  rise  to  all 
your  height,  where  you  need  not  stoop  to  make  your- 
self understood." 

"  And  yet  I  want  so  much  to  please  you  at  all  times 
and  in  all  places,"  replied  Phil.  His  anxiety  had  now 
unmistakably  veered  round  to  pain. 

"  Thank  you,  Phil.  But  still  when  you  ask  me  for 
my  opinion,  I  must  tell  you  what  I  think;  or  would 
you  prefer  me  to  pretend  to  ycu?" 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY      357 

"  No,  Effie,  anything  but  that." 

The  extinguishing  of  the  centre  chandelier  came  as 
a  strong  reminder  that  the  hall  attendant  wished  to 
get  home,  and  advised  the  laggards  to  follow  his  ex- 
ample. 

"  Will  you  see  the  girls  home  with  me?  "  asked  Phil, 
turning  to  Leuw. 

"  I  shall  be  delighted,"  answered  the  latter,  his 
words  outstripping  his  thoughts. 

When  his  thoughts  came  level  with  his  words,  he 
saw  no  reason  why  he  should  rue  them.  Whatever 
mischief  the  evening  had  done,  he  certainly  would  not 
minimize  by  taking  himself  off  to  his  own  company, 
with  its  unalluring  prospects  of  ineffectual  brooding. 
In  any  case  the  more  he  saw  of  Dulcie,  the  more  it 
would  help  to  confirm  his  policy — a  policy  of  cool 
head  and  steady  heart.  "  That  will  depend  on  circum- 
stances," he  had  replied  to  Phil's  enquiry  as  to  the 
length  of  his  stay  in  England.  Those  circumstances, 
of  course,  spelled  Dulcie.  His  business  training  had 
taught  him  the  value  of  surmises,  but  only  in  as  far 
as  they  were  used  to  pave  the  way  to  certainties.  To 
stop  at  them  was  so .  unpractical  a  proceeding  as  to 
reflect  discredit  on  an  averagely  intelligent  office- 
boy.  Well,  he  would  stay  for  his  certainty;  and  if  it 
turned  out  as  it  might  turn  out  ...  It  was  with  a 
feeling  of  "  any  port  in  the  storm  "  that  he  remem- 
bered that  the  steamers  left  Southampton  once  a  week. 

And  meanwhile,  harking  back  to  the  conversation 
between  Phil  and  Effie,  he  wondered  why  a  man 
should  set  such  tremendous  store  on  the  praises  of  a 
woman  of  whom  he  never  spoke  except  in  monosyl- 
lables. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

"  First  as  usual,"  said  Mr.  Alexander,  in  his  custom- 
ary good-natured  growl,  as  he  entered  the  drawing- 
room  at  Mrs.  Duveen's  one  evening,  a  week  later;  "  if 
this  goes  on  much  longer,  I  shall  begin  to  feel  quite 
undistinguished. " 

"  Then  you  should  improve  your  manners,  and  not 
show  yourself  so  ravenous  for  your  dinner,"  jested 
Mrs.  Duveen,  who  was  there  to  receive  him. 

"  Call  me  an  ogre  at  once,  and  be  done  with  it," 
suggested  Uncle  Bram  flippantly.  4  Who,  by  the  way, 
is  coining  to-night?  Oh,  I  remember,  that  young 
man  from  Africa." 

"  I  won't  have  you  call  him  '  that  young  man  from 
Africa,'"  said  Mrs.  Duveen  energetically;  "it  sounds 
like  a  parody  on  '  The  Wild  Man  of  Borneo.'  And  he 
is  not  wild  by  any  means,  I  can  assure  you." 

"  I  never  said  he  was,"  protested  Uncle  Bram  with 
equal  vigor.  "  Indeed,  my  impression  of  him  is  that 
of  a  particularly  sane  and  rational  individual.  I  dare 
say  he  has  got  on,  eh?  " 

"  Yes,  I  understand  he  has  done  very  well." 

"  H'm.  I  shall  be  glad  to  renew  our  acquaintance. 
Who  else  is  coming?  " 

"  Only  Effie  and  her  mother,  Mrs.  Lipcott,  and,  of 
course,  Phil." 

"Where's  Dulcie?" 

"  In  her  room,  dressing." 

"  Has  she  been  at  it  long?  " 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  359 

"  What  an  odd  question  to  ask,  Bram." 

"Still,  has  she?"     : 

"  Oh,  about  half  an  hour." 

"  H'm,  that's  an  improvement  on  the  usual." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Bram?  " 

"  Only  that  my  dear  little  niece  is  one  of  those  rather 
aggravating  young  ladies  whose  chief  pride  in  life  is 
to  get  done  before  everyone  else." 

"Very  proper,  too;  I  should  hate  to  think  of  her 
dawdling  before  the  looking-glass." 

"  That's  not  the  other  alternative,"  replied  Uncle 
Bram  warmly.  "  But  when  one  has  a  face  and  figure 
.that  are  worth  bestowing  a  little  pains  upon — the  long 
and  short  of  it  is,  Rose,  she  does  not  make  the  most 
of  herself." 

'  And  pray,  what  is  the  point  of  your  valuable  re- 
marks?" 

"  What,  Rose,  you  don't  see?  And  you  a  woman 
and  a  mother?  " 

Mrs.  Duveen  almost  fell  back  with  a  quick  little 
gasp. 

:  There  is  your  answer  whether  you  are  a  woman," 
said  Uncle  Bram  quite  fiercely;  "for  years  you  go 
about  in  blissful  indifference,  and  here  I  just  breathe 
a  word  of  warning,  and  you  get  into  a  downright 
panic.  Why,  what's  lost?  She  is  only  twenty-three 
and,  well,  she  is  Dulcie." 

"  You  mistake  me,  Bram,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen 
quickly;  "the  cause  of  my  alarm  is  not  what  you 
think." 

"  Then  please  enlighten  me." 

"  How  should  I  feel  if  some  one  were  to  come  be- 
tween her  and  me?" 


360  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  If  you  will  permit  me  to  be  a  trifle  brutal  for 
once,"  said  Mr.  Alexander  stiffly,  "  I  shall  beg  to  in- 
form you  that  I  should  not  consult  your  feelings  in 
the  matter  at  all.  You  may  say  that  as  a  male  spin- 
ster I  have  no  right  to  dogmatize  on  it;  I  don't — at 
least  not  on  the  sentimental  aspect.  But  I  do  on  the 
practical,'  and  that  most  strongly.  At  any  rate,  where 
my  dogma  leaves  off,  your  duty  should  begin." 

"  Yes,  yes,  Bram,"  came  from  Mrs.  Duveen  almost 
imploringly,  "you  are  perfectly  right;  but  what  am  I 
to  do?" 

"  H'm,"  said  Uncle  Bram,  scratching  his  ear,  "  the 
worst  about  it  is  that  there  is  no  direct  course  of  action 
possible.  A  machine-made  arrangement  is,  in  the 
case  of  a  girl  like  Dulcie,  out  of  the  question.  For  the 
matter  of  that,  it  ought  to  be  in  the  case  of  every  other 
girl.  Again,  to  point  out  to  her  the  necessity  of  tak- 
ing things  into  her  own  hands  would  make  her  barri- 
cade herself, in  her  room  forever.  But  there  will  be 
a  change." 

"How,  Bram?" 

"  I  am  going  to  take  her  under  my  wing;  you  may 
smile,  but  I  am  desperate.  She'll  have  to  go  in  for 
going  out — ahem!  I'll  make  her  follow  me  about  to 
places,  if  I  have  to  carry  her  there;  and  instead  of  po- 
litely yawning  the  evening  through,  she  will  have  to 
take  an  intelligent  interest  in  the  fellows — decent  fel- 
lows, too,  some  of  them — who  give  their  moustaches 
an  extra  twirl  when  she  appears  on  the  scene." 

'  At  one  time  it  seemed  young  Leon  ...  began 
Mrs.  Duveen. 

"  Fiddlesticks — an  optical  illusion,  like  one  or  two 
others  of  them,"  interrupted  Uncle  Bram  unceremo- 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  361 

niously.  "  I  can  see  what  it  is.  She  is  modeling  her- 
self on  that  Effie  of  hers;  there's  another  bright  speci- 
men for  you.  What  has  come  over  that  girl  I  can't 
tell  for  the  life  of  me.  All  day  long  it's  Effie  and 
piano,  or  for  a  change,  piano  and  Effie---that's  what 
it  has  been  for  the  last  year  or  two.  And  when  it  isn't 
dumps  with  her,  it's  devilry;  she  doesn't  seem  to  know 
any  happy  medium.  But  the  main  point  is  Dulcie. 
It  would  simply  be  an  outrage  to  society  to  let  her  re- 
main single,  seeing  that  she  is  cut  out  for  a  wife  ac- 
cording to  the  latest  improvements.  I  tell  you,  there's 
going  to  be  a  decided  change." 

;t  A  change  in  what?"  enquired  Dulcie,  as  she  step- 
ped into  the  room  at  that  moment,  all  soft  and  dainty 
in  her  clinging  cream  silk. 

'  In  the  weather,  my  dear,"  stammered  Uncle  Bram, 
taken  aback;  "the  barometer  has  fallen  heavily." 

"  So  will  you  have  a  heavy  fall,  if  you  get  into  the 
habit  of  fibbing.  Why,  mother  dear,  you  look  quite 
upset;  what  has  he  been  up  to?  " 

"  Nothing,  child,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen,  smiling  at  her 
solicitous  vehemence.  "  He  was  mentioning  something 
about — but  never  mind,  dear,  it  wouldn't  interest  you." 

'  Now  that  you  have  convinced  yourself  that  I  have 
been  making  no  attempt  on  the  life  of  your  precious 
mamma,"  drawled  Uncle  Bram  with  grim  politeness, 
"  may  I  ask  whether  you  will  honor  me  by  accepting 
one  of  the  two  tickets  I  have  purchased  for  the  grand 
ball  in  aid  of  the  Infant  Schools?  Under  most  dis- 
tinguished patronage,  you  know;  severely  select."- 

"When  is  it?" 

"  Next  Tuesday  week,"  replied  Uncle  Bram,  weirdly 
persuasive. 


362  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"Tuesday?     Couldn't  possibly." 

Uncle  Bram  put  on  his  apoplectic  look.  "  Why 
not?" 

"Girl's  Club;  needlework  night/'  explained  Dulcie, 
cheerfully  laconic. 

"  Consider  me  to  have  delivered  myself  of  a  naughty 
word,"  said  Uncle  Bram.  4i  Of  course,  you  will  put 
off  the  needlework." 

"  Uncle  Bram,"  said  Dulcie  mock-impressively, 
"  when  shall  I  get  you  to  learn  that  virtue  is  its  own 
reward,  or  should  be?  You  spend  a  couple  of  guineas 
in  the  cause  of  charity,  and  you  at  once  think  that 
gives  you  an  excuse  for  an  orgy  of  sinful  dissipation. 
For  shame!     Consider  your  hair  that  was." 

And  she  gave  his  bald  pate  an  affectionate  pat. 

Uncle  Bram  submitted  speechlessly  to  the  indignity 
of  word  and  action;  then  in  an  "I'll  give  you  a  last 
chance  "  sort  of  voice,  he  tried  again : 

"Then  you  won't  come?" 

Dulcie  shook  her  head  with  smiling  but  decisive 
provokingness. 

"  There  you  are,"  said  Uncle  Bram  as  he  turned  ac- 
cusingly to  Mrs.  Duveen,  "  always  some  excuse. 
Girls'  Club,  indeed,  you  little  mischief " — Dulcie's  face 
had  suddenly  appeared  quite  close  to  his  own — "  I'll 
take  that  Girls'  Club  and  do  something  to  it;  I'll  dis- 
band it — get  all  the  girls  married  somehow — pay  some- 
body to  let  a  mouse  loose  amongst  them.  .  .  ." 

You  dear  old  bully,"  cooed  Dulcie  with  both  her 
arms  round  him,  "  you  are  talking  absolute  rubbish, 
and  you  know  it.  Ah,  here  are  Effie  and  her  mother 
at  last,"  she  exclaimed,  bounding  away  from  him,  as 
the  house  bell  sounded. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  363 

"  Or  Phil,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen  eagerly,  as  she  follow- 
ed her  out  into  the  hall. 

Dulcie's  guess  was  right.  "  I  am  going  up  to  your 
room — I  want  to  fix  something,"  said  Erne  hurriedly 
to  Dulcie;  "come  along." 

Dulcie  turned  up  the  gas  as  soon  as  they  got  there. 

"  Don't  do  that,"  came  querulously  from  Effie,  who 
had  flung  herself  on  the  couch,  and  was  tilting  the  heel 
of  one  foot  on  the  toes  of  the  other. 

'  But  you  can't  do  it  in  the  dark,"  remonstrated 
Dulcie,  obeying. 

4  I  don't  want  to  do  anything;  I've  got  something  to 
tell  you." 

"Oh,  Effie,  what  can  it  be?" 

Even  in  the  half-light  Effie's  face  showed  almost 
hectic,  and  her  fathomless  eyes  shone  with  more  than 
their  wonted  lustre. 

"  Dulcie,  I  went  to-day,"  she  broke  out  defiantly. 

"Went  where?" 

"  To  the  agent." 

"  What,  all  by  yourself?  "  breathed  Dulcie. 

"  All  by  myself,  and  in  broad  daylight,"  replied 
Effie,  more  defiantly  still. 

"  And  you  didn't  tell  your  mother?  " 
That's  just  like  you,"  cried  Effie  angrily;  "you 
keep  on  bothering  me  with  stupid  questions,  instead  of 
asking,  as  any  sensible  kind  of  person  would,  what  the 
man  said  to  me.  And  now  I  won't  give  you  the 
chance  of  asking.  He  said — he  is  the  biggest  agent  in 
the  line,  vou  know — he  said  that  I  had  marvelous — 
yes,  don't  gape — marvelous  talent,,  and  he  would  not 
have  the  slightest  difficulty  in  getting  me  a  hearing  on 
the  best  concert  platforms  in  town  as  soon  as  the 
season  starts.     So  there." 


364  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

And  she  brushed  the  creases  out  of  her  frock  with  a 
hand  that  trembled  visibly. 

"  Oh,  Effie,  dear,"  and  Dulcie  tried  to  stroke  the 
trembling  hand  back  into  self-possession,  "  you  know 
how  I  have  always  felt  for  your  plans  and  ambitions, 
and  how  proud  I  shall  be  of  you  and  all  that,  but.  .  .  ." 

"Yes,  but?" 

"  But  why  did  you  not  tell  your  mother  first?  M 

"  Because  I  did  not  even  tell  her  afterwards.  You 
are  the  only  one  who  knows.  Oh,  Dulcie,  I  could  not 
stand  it  any  longer,  the  dull,  dreary  prospect  of  doing 
nothing,  being  nothing,  when  I  felt  all  the  time  I 
could  make  my  future  full  with  facts,  instead  of  making 
it  empty  by  dreams.  And  only  because  poor  papa 
was  so  foolish  and  improvident  as  to  pile  up  a  lot  of 
money  in  his  lifetime,  which  I  now  have  to  drag  about 
with  me,  if  I  don't  want  it  to  drag  me  down.  Haven't 
we  poor  rich  people  also  the  right  to  live?': 

"  And  your  mother  won't  give  in?  " 

"  Absolutely  certain,  and  that's  why  she  won't  know 
till  I  send  her  a  stall  for  my  debut." 

"  Oh!  Eff,  you  make  me  feel  so  wretched,"  moaned 
Dulcie. 

"  I  don't  care;  if  I  am  made  to  feel  wretched,  I  don't 
see  why  somebody  else  should  not  feel  wret.   .  .  ." 

With  a  little  cry  of  horror  Dulcie  clapped  her  hand 
over  the  mutinous  mouth. 

'  You  didn't  mean  to  say  that,  Effie,"  she  gasped. 

Effie  seized  the  repressing  hand,  and  almost  bit  it  in 
her  passionate  repentance. 

"  Oh,  no,  no,  no,  Dulse,  darling — of  course  I  didn't 
mean  it,  but  be  good  to  me,  only  this  once  more.  Help 
me  to  carry  the  secret  if  you  don't  want  me  to  die  just 
yet." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  365 

Dulcie  reflected  for  an  instant,  then  a  joyous  look 
came  into  her  eyes. 

'  Effie,  suppose  we  divide  the  secret  into  three? 
That  will  make  it  ever  so  much  easier." 

tk  Divide  it  into  three?     Who  is  to  be  the  third?" 

"  Phil,  of  course." 

Eflie's  lips  pursed  disdainfully.  "  I  don't  see  the 
slightest  necessity  for  Phil  in  the  matter,"  she  said 
harshly. 

'•  Not  for  Phil?  "  exclaimed  Dulcie. 

"Will  you  kindly  explain  your  surprise?"  asked 
Eflie  icily. 

"  I  thought  you  were  such  good  friends,"  stammer- 
ed Dulcie. 

'  Well,  and  what  if  we  are?  I  suppose  I  can  al- 
ways reserve  myself  the  right  of  fixing  a  limit  to  our 
friendship." 

'  I  am  afraid  you  have  been  quarreling,"  said  Dul- 
cie disconsolately. 

'  Oh,  dear,  no ;  you  don't  think  such  an  extremely 
correct  young  man  as  Phil  would  give  anybody  a 
handle  for  quarreling?  " 

Dulcie  sighed  and  was  silent.  This  was  not  the  first 
time  that  Eflie  had  given  vent  to  bursts  of  irritation 
against  Phil  in  his  absence;  and  yet,  though  Dulcie 
had  carefully  watched  them  together,  she  had  never 
noticed  Eflie's  attitude  to  him  to  be  anything  save  a 
consistent,  possibly  a  studied  affability.  To-day  she 
felt  more  at  a  loss  than  ever;  the  figure  on  the  couch 
there  was  not  Eflie  at  all;  it  was  some  wan,  forlorn 
mystery  that  made  her  heart  ache. 

'  For  goodness  sake  come  down,"  cried  Eflie,  jump- 
ing up  suddenly.     "  Don't  let  us  sit  mooning  here  like 


366  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

a  pair  of  owls.  Everything  will  be  all  right — some 
day.     But  Dulcie " 

"  I  won't  tell,  not  a  word." 

"  Oh,  I  thought  we  had  settled  that  long  ago.  What 
I  mean  is,  if  anybody  tries  to  worry  me  into  eating 
anything  to-night,  I  shall  just  take  my  things  and  go 
off  home.     And  you  have  got  to  see  to  it.'' 

On  descending  they  found  Phil  and  Mrs.  Lipcott 
already  arrived. 

"  I  have  already  apologized  for  Leuw,"  said  Phil, 
noting  Dulcie's  look  round  the  room.  "  He  couldn't 
get  away  in  time  for  dinner,  but  he  will  turn  up  for 
certain  later  on  in  the  evening." 

At  Uncle  Bram's  suggestion  an  immediate  move 
was  made  to  the  dining-room. 

Phil  took  no  part  in  the  table-talk — at  least  not  in 
its  earlier  stages;  he  appeared  to  be  reserving  himself 
for  some  special  occasion.  A  momentary  lull  gave  it 
to  him. 

"  If  you  all  promise  not  to  let  it  interfere  with  your 
appetite,  I  shall  tell  you  the  story  of  a  little  idea  Leuw 
and  I  hit  on  between  us,"  he  began.  "  We  have  kept 
it  to  ourselves  so  far,  but  now  it  struck  us  that  we 
might  as  well  get  the  opinion  of  the  unprejudiced  ob- 
server; not  that  we  are  going  to  take  the  slightest  no- 
tice of  him,  but  we  can't  resist  the  temptation  of 
cheaply  gratifying  our  curiosity." 

Phil's  manner  was  half  jesting;  yet  it  did  not  escape 
his  listeners  that  he  was  masking  a  more  serious  mood. 
And  the  attention  which  it  bespoke  for  him  certainly 
did  not  decrease  as  his  account  of  the  Scheme  pro- 
ceeded. Despite  Phil's  injunction  Uncle  Bram  laid 
down  his  knife  and  fork,     Dulcie's  interest  was  unmis- 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  367 

takable.  Mrs.  Duveen  and  Mrs.  Lipcott  looked  at 
each  other  with  a  quiet  smile,  half  surprise,  half  con- 
gratulation. Effie  alone  gave  no  indication  of  her 
thoughts;  her  eyes  downcast,  she  toyed  steadily  with 
the  little  pile  of  bread  crumbs  before  her. 

"  Oh,  it's  splendid,  isn't  it,  Uncle  Bram?"  came  im- 
petuously from  Dulcie,  as  Phil  concluded. 

'  If  you  will  kindly  permit  me  to  catch  my  breath  a 
little,  I  may  be  able  to  answer  you,"  said  Uncle  Bram, 
more  cautiously.  "  Did  anybody  ever  hear  anything 
more  audacious?" 

Phil  laughed.  "  I  suppose  I  ought  to  be  grateful 
for  that,  Uncle  Bram;  you  might  have  said  fool-hardy." 

'  He  might  have  said  courageous,"  broke  in  Mrs. 
Duveen  softly. 

Uncle  Bram  shook  his  head  vigorously.  "No; 
you  won't  get  me  to  commit  myself.  The  matter  is 
too  responsible  for  that." 

'  Don't  put  such  a  value  on  yourself,"  remonstrated 
Dulcie;  "you  heard  Phil  say  before,  he  would  not  let 
outside  criticism  affect  him." 

'  I  know  Phil  better  than  that,"  replied  Uncle  Bram 
rather  bluntly. 

Phil  was  given  no  time  to  repudiate  or  admit  the 
contention,  owing  to  Leuw's  arrival.  Mrs.  Duveen 
had  left  orders  that  he  was  to  be  shown  in,  even  though 
dinner  was  still  in  progress. 

"  I  am  a  little  earlier  than  I  thought  I  should  be," 
he  began. 

"  If  you  want  to  make  excuses,  make  them  for  not 
being  earlier  still,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen  as  she  shook 
hands  with  him. 

"  You  came  in  the  nick  of  time,  Leuw,"  said  Phil. 


368  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

when  Leuw  had  finally  got  seated.  "  Uncle  Bram 
showed  himself  inclined  to  be  a  bit  cantankerous  about 
our  little  project." 

"  Indeed?"  smiled  Leuw. 

"  Yes,  if  by  that  you  mean  that  I  venture  to  reserve 
my  judgment,"  replied  Uncle  Bram  amiably. 

And  then  the  subject  was,  as  it  were,  tacitly  ruled 
out  of  order.  Leuw's  presence  had  put  an  air  of  con- 
straint upon  it;  everyone  seemed  to  have  arrived  at  a 
new  sense  of  its  importance,  with  which  the  present 
desultory  mode  of  discussion  accorded  but  ill.  And 
when,  at  the  close  of  the  meal,  Mr.  Alexander  invited 
the  two  young  men  to  the  smoking-room,  their  ready 
response  had  about  it  a  curious  ring  of  momentous- 
ness. 

This  last  followed  them  into  their  privacy,  and  show- 
ed itself  by  the  "  hedging  "  wherewith  the  talk  was  at 
first  kept  on  neutral  topics.  It  was  not  till  he  was  half 
through  his  cigar  that  Mr.  Alexander  availed  himself 
of  one  of  Leuw's  remarks  to  approach  the  Scheme. 

"  Do  you  know  the  feeling  that  came  over  me  at 
seeing  you  once  more,  Mr.  Lipcott?" 

Leuw  looked  at  him  astonished. 

"  A  sort  of  shamefacedness,"  continued  the  other. 

"  Surely  the  cause  must  have  been  purely  imagin- 
ary," replied  Leuw. 

"  You  say  so  because  you  have  forgotten.  Do  you 
remember  the  last  time  I  saw  you  I  suggested  putting 
you  under  a  pledge?" 

"  But  you  withdrew  the  suggestion  almost  in  the 
same  breath." 

"  Only  because  you  insisted  on  trusting  yourself. 
You  nearly  put  mc  to  the  blush  by  the  brilliant  way  in 
which  you  have  justified  your  self-belief." 


"Then  you  approve  of  our  scheme ?"  exclaimed  Phil 

EAGERLY. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  369 

'Then  you  approve  of  our  Scheme?"  exclaimed 
Phil  eagerly. 

k  You  show  a  suspicious  deference  to  my  humble 
opinion,  considering  the  rather  stiff-backed  attitude  I 
understand  you  propose  to  take  up,"  smiled  Mr.  Alex- 
ander. 

"  By  no  means, "  rejoined  Phil  quickly.  "  Don't 
mistake  me,  Uncle  Bram.  You  know  what  store  I  as 
a  rule  set  on  your  personal  opinion  of  men  and  affairs ; 
but  in  the  present  instance,  it  is  absolutely  valueless. 
I  do  not  want  you  to  speak  as  Uncle  Bram,  but  as  the 
communal  politician,  as  the  representative  of  the  in- 
fluences which  may  be  said  to  dominate  the  destiny  of 
contemporary  English  Judaism.1' 

k  You  only  forestall  me,"  said  Mr.  Alexander.  "  I 
was  about  to  draw  the  same  distinction  myself.  I 
agree  fully  that  the  natural  prepossession  with  which, 
as  an  individual,  I  should  view  this  attempt  of  yours, 
puts  my  personal  estimate  out  of  court  at  once.  But 
I  am  glad  to  see  that,  whatever  private  resources,  both 
mental  and  financial,  you  are  prepared  to  invest  in  the 
founding  of  your  Institute,  you  seem  to  recognize  the 
fact  that  its  main  issue  must  depend  ultimately  on 
what  general  sympathy  and  co-operation  you  succeed 
in  enlisting;  and  you  want  me  to  give  you  an  official 
estimate,  as  it  were,  of  your  chances  of  that." 

k  Precisely,"  came  from  Phil,  while  Leuw  contented 
himself  with  nodding  his  assent. 

'  Both  of  you  must  be  aware,  of  course,"  continued 
Mr.  Alexander  thoughtfully, "  that  the  question  is  one 
which  has  exercised  our  communal  parliament — to  de- 
velop your  phrase,  Phil — for  years.  It  would  be  be- 
side the  mark  for  us  to  discuss  the  merits  or  demerits 
24 


37° 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


of  the  modus  operandi  suggested;  its  tendencies 
were  scarcely  as  far-reaching,  I  might  almost  say 
epoch-making,  as  you  evidently  claim  your  own  to  be. 
But  such  as  it  was,  we  allowed  it  to  hang  fire  so  long, 
that  we  wisely  saved  ourselves  the  probable  disappoint- 
ment of  a  flash  in  the  pan.  The  pity  of  it  is  that  we 
should  have  expended  so  much  valuable  energy  in 
keeping  it  in  its  state  of  suspended  animation,  instead 
of  bestowing  that  energy  on  a  more  profitable  purpose. 
And  now  we  are  exactly  as  far  as  we  were  at  the  start." 

"  Not  quite  so  far,"  interjected  Phil;  "  remember  the 
wasted  energy." 

"  That  need  not  concern  you  very  much ;  you  know 
we  are  a  hardy  and  recuperative  race,"  smiled  Mr. 
Alexander. 

"  Still,  while  you  recuperate,  you  may  forget  for 
what  your  strength  is  needed,"  said  Phil,  not  without 
some  bitterness. 

"  That  we  can  never  do,"  said  Mr.  Alexander  firmly; 
"  the  evil  knocks  at  our  doors  too  loudly,  in  fact,  day 
by  day  more  loudly,  to  allow  our  ignoring  it.  And 
herein  lies  your  chief  claim  to  our  consideration.  That 
we  should  approach  you  with  a  certain  amount  of  dis- 
trust, you  must  reasonably  expect.  You  offer  us  a 
plan  contrary  to  all  precedent,  a  plan  which  apparently 
strides  along  with  the  seven-league  boots  of  the  giant 
in  the  fairy  tale;  and  we  should  not  necessarily  be 
dubbed  fossilized  fogies  if  we  give  our  spectacles  a 
good  rub  to  get  at  the  true  inwardness  of  it." 

"  But  the  Scheme  is  its  own  credentials,"  exclaimed 
Phil  hotly. 

."  You  can  trust  us  with  sufficient  discretion  to  dis- 
cover that  for  ourselves,"  replied  Mr,.  Alexander,  with 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  371 

great  equanimity;  4'  it  would  not  escape  running  the 
gauntlet,  even  if  it  came  god-fathered  by  any  one  of 
our  accredited  leaders.  Well,  then,  we  should  start 
with  the  fact  I  just  mentioned — that  the  necessities  of 
the  case  show  no  signs  of  diminishing;  that  a  policy 
of  trusting  to  things  to  right  themselves  is  not  justified 
by  the  course  events  are  taking,  and  that  by  continuing 
it  we  run  the  risk  of  developing  what  at  present  is  only 
a  difficulty  into  a  crisis  calling  for  adjustment  from 
without.  We  clearly,  therefore,  owe  it  to  ourselves, 
both  as  a  matter  of  duty  as  well  as  of  self-interest,  to 
obviate  such  a  fatality  at  all  costs.  Your  Scheme,  it 
must  be  admitted,  appears  opportunely,  at  a  moment 
when  the  mind  of  the  community  is  not  engrossed  by 
considerations  of  minor  import  which  so  often  burke 
the  larger  issues.  That  it  does  not  consist  of  half-way 
or  perfunctory  measures,  but  strikes  boldly  at  the  core 
of  the  trouble,  because  it  puts  the  right  values  on  cause 
and  effect,  should  not  disqualify  it  for  experiment — 
even  though  the  experiment  be  the  most  expensive  we 
have  yet  dared  to  permit  ourselves.  For,  recollect — 
I  have  hinted  it  already — that  your  share  in  the  move- 
ment can  at  best  be  only  that  of  pioneers ;  it  could  never 
be  but  two  men's  work,  even  though  they  were  demi- 
gods. The  grand  total  of  it  cannot  be  reckoned  by 
units;  it  must  be  counted  by  hundreds,  by  thousands, 
perhaps.  In  that  case  it  becomes  an  effort  worthy  of 
all  cur  combined  strength.  Nay,  more,  we  should  wel- 
come the  opportunity  for  making  a  grand  demonstra- 
tion— we  must  be  careful  not  to  turn  it  into  an  osten- 
tatious parade — of  our  resources.  The  strong  man 
feels  all  the  stronger  for  testing  his  muscle." 

"  Well?"  asked  Phil,  his  face  tense  with  suppressed 


372  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

emotion.  "  Suppose  Leuw  and  I  cannot  get  beyond 
the  ground-work,  will  you  continue  the  building?'1 

"  I  am  sincerely  glad  you  put  that  in  the  shape  of  a 
question,"  replied  Mr.  Alexander.  kk  I  was  afraid  that 
my  unqualified  positiveness  might  have  led  you  to  as- 
sume too  much — perhaps  everything.  But  the  only 
inference  I  can  allow  you  to  draw  from  my  words  is 
that  we  guarantee  you  our  sentiments.  Our  sympathy 
may  not  carry  us  beyond  a  theoretical  approval." 

Phil  leapt  up  from  his  chair  as  though  stung. 
"  What,  and  that  despite  the  urgency  which  exists  on 
your  own  showing?  "  he  cried. 

Mr.  Alexander  calmly  shrugged  his  shoulders. 
"  Urgency,  my  dear  boy,  is,  like  everything  else,  a  rela- 
tive term.  It  may  mean  a  day  or  a  life-time;  and 
*  after  us  the  deluge  '  has  been  the  watchword  of  the 
world  ever  since  Noah's  Ark  came  to  anchor  on 
Mount  Ararat.  If  every  man  who  knows  his  duty 
were  to  act  on  his  knowledge,  we  could  safely  pension 
off  the  Decalogue.  You  see,  we  may  show  ourselves 
ready  to  give  you  every  credit  for  the  high  principle, 
the  noble  disinterestedness  of  your  project;  we  may 
laud  and  applaud  it  to  the  skies,  and  we  may  do  noth- 
ing more.  Selfishness,  culpable  apathy,  will  be  your 
verdict.  But  you  will  be  wrong;  the  real  cause  will  be 
something  much  less  obvious,  much  less  controllable 
— the  mysterious  contrariness,  the  wayward  sulking 
with  the  occasion,  which  is  our  unconscious  protest 
against  being  called  upon  to  put  in  splints  the  things 
Which  have  got  out  of  joint.  I  do  not  say  that  our 
better  judgment  will  not  prevail;  very  possibly  it  may. 
Only  I  consider  I  am  rendering  you  a  distinct  service 
in   setting  before   you  the   potential   negatives  of  the 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  373 

case.  But  still,  even  if  you  do  not  obtain  the  support 
of  the  official  body,  you  have  another  and  perhaps 
more  reliable  string  to  your  bow." 

Phil  and  Leuw  merely  looked  their  enquiry. 

"  There  are  our  en  gros  philanthropists,"  continued 
Mr.  Alexander,  "  the  men  whose  large-heartedness 
finds  an  outlet  in  every  channel  of  communal  charity. 
You  would  get  them  to  see  that  the  consummation  of 
your  Scheme  would  do  much  to  remove  the  necessity 
for  some  of  the  Institutions  which  are  the  direct  out- 
come of  the  state  of  things  you  would  have  them  help 
you  to  remedy.  By  the  creation  of  a  main  stream 
which,  to  a  certain  degree,  will  absorb  the  tributaries, 
they  will  find  their  purpose  better  served.  And  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  among  the  secondary  benefits 
arising  from  the  Scheme  must  be  the  abatement  of  the 
dole  evil,  resulting  in  a  proportionate  increase  of  self- 
respect  and  self-reliance  among  our  poor,  as  well  as  a 
more  systematic  provision  against  old  age  and  the  un- 
foreseen emergencies  of  daily  life.  But  1  apologize — I 
am  straying  beyond  my  province." 

"  Not  unconsciously,  though,  Uncle  Bram,"  smiled 
Phil,  who  by  this  time  had  regained  his  self-possession; 
"I  can  see  your  object;  you  did  not  want  to  end  up 
with  a  raven's  croak.  You  know  yourself  that  your 
distinction  between  the  en  gros  philanthropist  and  the 
so-called  communal  leader  is  quite  artificial;  the  one  is 
the  other,  and  by  casting  doubt  on  the  one,  you  involve 
both.  But  I  shall  relieve  your  anxiety:  I  have  more 
faith  in  you  than  you  yourselves  have.  You  won't 
content  yourselves  with  applauding  us,  although  that 
might  furnish  you  with  an  excuse  for  not  putting 
your   hands   in   your   pockets;   you   won't   sulk   with 


374  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

the  occasion,  because  you  know  you  have  more  to 
gain  by  conciliating  it.  And  once  you  have  rec- 
ognized your  duty,  you  are  far  too  jealous  of 
your  credit  with  your  contemporaries  and  with 
posterity  to  pass  it  by  on  the  other  side  of  the 
road.  But  should  I  be  mistaken " — Phil  got  up, 
and  his  eyes  flashed  fire — "  should  I  be  mistaken, 
even  then  I  do  not  consider  our  cause  hopeless. 
We  shall  not  be  disheartened  by  having  to  deal  in 
units;  we  shall  compensate  ourselves  by  making  surer 
of  the  results.  We  must  grow  stronger  from  the  very 
nature  of  our  undertaking.  For,  as  time  goes  on,  we 
shall  become  our  own  recruiting-ground.  At  least 
some  of  the  men  whom  we  shall  send  out,  and  whom 
we  have  helped  to  a  better  chance  of  worldly  success, 
to  a  truer  knowledge  of  the  possibilities  of  life,  some  of 
them,  I  say,  if  not  all,  will  remember  that  they  are 
failures,  if  they  do  nothing  to  help  on  the  good  work 
which  has  made  them  what  they  are.  And  they  will 
help,  as  soon  as  they  can,  if  only  to  vindicate  them- 
selves in  their  own  eyes.  They  will  come  back,  as 
Leuw  and  I  have  come  back,  because  we  are  a  people 
whose  soul  is  their  traditions,  and  who  have  learnt  the 
knack  of  gripping  the  future  with  one  hand  while 
keeping  hold  of  the  past  wTith  the  other.  I  have  no 
taste  for  acquiring  the  reputation  of  a  well-meaning 
hobby  rider;  the  sanction  of  the  community,  and  all  it 
means,  is  to  me  a  thing  as  solemn  as  it  is  valuable. 
But  with  it  or  without  it,  our  purpose  holds  good. 
Does  it,  or  does  it  not,  Leuw?  ,! 

By  way  of  answer,  Leuw  stepped  up  to  Phil,  laid  his 
hand  on  the  other's  shoulder,  and  so  the  two  stood 
looking  at  Mr.  Alexander. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  375 


"  Dear  me,"  said  the  latter,  in  half-affected,  half- 
genuine  distress,  "  you  make  me  feel  quite  uncomfor- 
table. What  have  I  done  to  deserve  this  distinctly 
threatening  attitude  of  yours?  My  only  offense  was 
that  I  made  my  survey  from  the  standpoint  you  as- 
signed to  me,  and  so  had  to  leave  the  situation  pretty 
much  as  I  found  it.  I  could  not  honestly  do  otherwise. 
And  yet,"  he  continued  reflectively,  "  I  don't  know 
what  reason  you  have  to  grumble;  nothing  in  what  I 
have  said  need  lead  ycu  to  expect  a  downright  rebuff, 
and  that  by  itself  is  as  good  as  carrying  the  first  posi- 
tion. And  then — if  ycu  will  at  last  permit  me  to  speak 
on  my  own  behalf — you  can  rest  assured  of  at  least  one 
friend  at  court.  Mr.  Lipcott — Phil — I  ask  it  of  you  as 
a  favor:  let  me  be  your  ambassador." 

"  I  think  this  is  the  first  authentic  instance  where  a 
favor  to  the  other  man  means  a  bargain  to  oneself," 
replied  Phil  buoyantly,  as  he  linked  his  arm  affection- 
ately in  Mr.  Alexander's.  "  I  must  confess  to  you, 
Uncle  Bram,  we  have  got  you  ridiculously  cheap;  I 
was  prepared  for  a  tremendous  outlay  of  canvassing. 
Now,  then,  Leuw,  we  have  achieved  enough-  for  one 
day.     Come  and  let  us  show  our  laurels  to  the  ladies." 

"  Only  don't  make  me  out  such  a  great  acquisition, 
or  I  shall  waste  all  my  time  in  growing  conceited," 
laughed  Uncle  Bram. 

"  You  forget  you  will  occasionally  be  called  upon  to 
report  progress,"  retorted  Phil. 

"Of  my  conceit?" 

"  Of  your  embassy." 

They  found  the  ladies  divided  in  two  groups — the 
older  three  chatting  away  busily  round  the  fireplace, 
Effie  at  the  piano  improvising  softly,  with  Dulcie  gaz- 


tf6  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

ing  up  at  her  from  the  hassock  close  by.  Efne  did  not 
appear  to  notice  the  entry  of  the  men,  except  that  her 
touch  became  fainter  still;  but  Dulcie  rose  with  alac- 
rity, only  to  see  her  seat  usurped  by  Phil  the  very  next 
instant.  Uncle  Bram  had  been  called  over  to  the  fire- 
place to  arbitrate  in  some  insignificant  dispute,  and 
Leuw  was  following  him  thither,  when  Dulcie  inter- 
cepted him  half-way.     He  halted  readily. 

'  I  have  been  waiting  for  you  very  patiently,  Mr. 
Lipcott,"  she  said  with  the  naivete  of  a  child. 

"  Can  I  do  anything  for  you?"  he  enquired  eagerly. 

"  Yes,  I  want  you  to  grant  me  your  pardon." 
'  Most  certainly,  Miss  Duveen.     And  now  you  may 
as  well  tell  me  for  what." 

"  No,  really,  I  am  greatly  in  earnest.  I  have  been 
reproaching  myself  during  the  last  hour  for  scolding 
you  the  other  evening,  because  you  did  not  go  into 
ecstasies  over  the  glories  of  the  children's  treat.  And 
with  that  for  my  starting-point,  I  wanted  to  prove  to 
you  that  your  whole  philosophy  of  life  was  wrong. 
With  your  mind  intent  on  such  great  things,  how 
could  you  be  expected  to  give  even  a  passing  thought 
to  mere  trivialities?  How  I  must  have  annoyed — or 
amused  you! " 

"  Let  me  assure  you,  you  did  neither.,' 

u  What  else  can  you  possibly  say?  Why,  if  I  re- 
member, I  actually  had  the  presumption  to  pity  you. 
My  only  consolation  is  that  perhaps  you  were  not  lis- 
tening to  me  at  all." 

"But  doing  what?" 

"  Thinking  of  your'  wonderful  Scheme.  I  don't 
know  how  you  can  let  it  be  absent  from  your  thoughts 
for  a  single  instant.     The  length  of  my  acquaintance 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  377 

with  it  can  only  be  measured  by  minutes,  and  I  have 
already  learned  to  love  it." 

Her  face  became  troubled,  and  Leuw  fancied  he 
heard  a  sigh.     Her  next  words  convinced  him. 

"  I  am  very  sorry.  I  suppose  to  love  it  will  be  my 
only  share  in  it." 

Leuw  looked  at  her  curiously.  "  And  why  not  your 
only  share?"  he  asked. 

She  answered  his  look  with  one  of  undisguised  in- 
dignation. 

"  Quite  so,  Mr.  Lipcott;  I  ought  to  have  been  pre- 
pared for  that  question.  If  you  men  allow  us  women 
to  sympathize  with  your  work,  to  pray  for  its  success, 
and — to  look  on  from  a  distance,  you  think  you  have 
humored  us  sufficiently.  I  don't  want  to  be  humored, 
Mr.  Lipcott,  I  want  to  help,  to  stand  close  by,  and  to 
feel  that  at  least  the  tiniest  wheel  in  the  machine  owes 
its  motion  to  me.  And  yet,  you  are  right " — her  head 
drooped  despondently — H  is  there  anything  I  could  do 
that  you  could  not  do  doubly  well?  By  intruding  I 
should  only  succeed  in  preventing  the  best  and  fittest 
from  being  employed." 

Leuw  paused  for  a  moment  or  two,  and  then  bent 
his  head  closer  to  hers,  so  as  to  permit  himself  a  sink- 
ing of  the  voice. 

"  Miss  Duveen,  you  are  unnecessarily  severe  on 
yourself,  as  you  would  have  seen,  had  you  waited  for 
me  to  give  the  answer  to  your  question...  Let  me  tell 
you  that  there  are  certain  things,  as  vital  as  any  of 
those  which  will  figure  in  the  formal  curriculum,  but 
which  neither  Phil,  nor  myself,  nor  any  man  living 
could  do  half  as  well  as  you." 

"  You  are  not  merely  polite,  Mr.  Lipcott? "  she 
asked  with  touching  anxiety. 


378  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"Why  should  I  trifle  with  you?"  he  returned 
gravely.  "  Listen,  Miss  Duveen.  We  shall  be  deal- 
ing with  lads  whose  home  life  will  have  had  its  virtues, 
but  will  also  have  had  its  defects.  Of  the  latter,  those 
which  fall  under  the  heading  of  more  regular  discip- 
line you  can  safely  leave  to  us.  But  there  may  be 
others  which  we  may  not  be  able  to  reach — rough 
edges  of  character,  perverted  ways  of  thinking,  which 
require  the  quick  eye  of  a  woman  to  detect,  and  the 
soft, dexterous  touch  of  a  woman  in  the  handling.  So, 
instead  of  an  intrusion,  your  immediate  presence  will 
become  an  essential.  It  would  do  more  to  give  them 
a  clear  sense  of  chivalry,  of  right-mindedness,  than  the 
most  strenuous  example;  they  would  not  dare  to  tell 
a  lie,  or  harbor  it  in  their  hearts,  if  they  knew  that  you 
and  such  as  you  were  coming  from  time  to  time  to 
read  their  faces.  But,  Miss  Duveen,  your  function 
would  not  end  there.  These  boys  .will  be  of  an  age 
when  they  feel  the  first  stirrings  of  their  self-conscious- 
ness, when  they  begin  to  ask  themselves  questions,  and 
cannot  always  give  an  answer.  They  grow  afraid  of 
their  future — it  seems  so  near.  Added  to  that  may 
be  distressing  home  circumstances;  their  work  may 
be  misunderstood,  their  aims  belittled.  That  surely  is 
the  time  when  they  most  need  somebody  to  rally  their 
hopes,  to  heap  fuel  on  their  courage,  to  give  them  back 
their  faith  in  themselves.  And  " — he  half  murmured 
the  words — "  I  have  always  imagined  that  there  is 
none  so  skilful  as  a  woman  in  nursing  a  soul  through 


a  crisis. " 


Leuw  paused,  not  in  the  least  surprised  at  his  own 
eloquence;  he  knew  whence  he  derived  his  inspiration. 
It  was  the   recollection   of  the   lonely   hours   he   had 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  379 

struggled  through  by  himself,  the  aching  despondency 
which  had  attacked  him  whenever  he  had  paused  to 
take  breath,  though  its  causes  were  not  exactly  any 
one  of  those  he  had  just  enumerated.  He  only  thought 
of  his  craving  for  something  soft  and  sympathetic  on 
which  to  recoil  from  the  iron-like  stubbornness  of  his 
own  resolve.  He  had  never  had  a  woman  friend;  it 
was  the  one  thing  for  which  he  had  ever  envied  his 
brother  Phil. 

Dulcie,  too,  remained  lost  in  thought.  Then  the 
radiance  which  Leuw's  words  had  brought  into  her 
face,  began  to  ebb,  until  it  finally  gave  place  to  utter 
disconsolateness. 

Thank  you,  Mr.  Lipcott,"  she  said  slowly.  "  You 
conjured  up  for  me  a  pleasant  dream.-  It  is  not  your 
fault  that  I  cannot  make  it  last.  How  can  I  ever  lift 
myself  to  the  height  of  the. task  you  exact  from  me? 
True,  I  have  exerted  my  influence  with  little  children, 
and  perhaps  not  without  success.  But  what  guarantee 
have  I  that  I  shall  make  it  felt  on  boys — boys  that  are 
to  become  what  you  wish  to  make  them?  " 

"  You  have  made  it  felt  on  men ;  so  why  should  you 
not  succeed  with  boys?" 

The  words  fairly  leaped  from  his  mouth,  and  then, 
when  he  found  that  he  had  spoken  and  not  thought 
them,  a  sudden  strength  entered  into  him.  He  drew 
himself  up,  proud  and  defiant.  Let  her  know,  then. 
It  was  as  though  he  had  disburdened  himself  of  the 
weight  of  a  humiliating  secret. 

"  On  men?  "  she  repeated  wondering. 

But  she  had  no  need  to  enquire  further;  could  she 
mistake  the  look  in  his  eyes?  Leuw  held  his  breath: 
what  was  coming? 


380  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT 

At  first  a  silence ;  then  a  faint  pallor  over  her  cheeks 
— so  faint,  that  perhaps  it  was  only  the  reflected  tint 
of  the  gleaming  silk.  But  Leuw  was  not  deceived,  and 
his  heart  came  into  his  mouth.  She  had  understood, 
and  yet  she  was  not  angry.  For  so  her  next  words 
told  him. 

"  I  did  not  know  I  had  influenced  any  men,  Mr.  Lip- 
cott.  If  I  have,  I  am  glad  you  think  it  was  for  their 
good.  Come,  let  us  take  pity  on  Phil  and  Eftie;  they 
seem  to  be  boring  each  other  dreadfully." 

Obediently  he  followed  her  over  to  the  piano.  Her 
last  remark  was  apparently  no  exaggeration.  Eftie 
had  risen,  and  stood  looking  through  a  music  album; 
she  was  just  stifling  a  yawn.  Phil  was  next  to  her, 
watching  her  with  evident  perplexity  and  vexation. 
Little  or  no  conversation  had  passed  between  them. 

"Well,  what  do  you  think  of  the  Scheme?"  he  had 
asked  her.' 

"  It  seems  all  right,"  had  been  her  answer;  "  I  dare 
say  you  will  make  it  a  success.  Only  I  thought  your 
ambition  lay  in  another  direction." 

"What  other  direction?" 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know;  I  can't  trouble  to  think." 

The  groups  converged  again  as  the  evening  wore 
on.  Its  close  brought  Phil  another  rebuff.  '  I  shall 
see  you  home,"  he  said  to  Eftie,  as  Mrs.  Elkin  rose  to 
leave. 

"  No,  thanks,"  was  Eftie's  negligent  reply;  "  mother 
and  I  can  take  care  of  each  other  for  twenty  yards  or 


so." 


Leuw  also  took  his  thoughts  away  with  him.  And 
so  it  was  that  Mrs.  Lipcott,  on  her  way  home,  found 
her  two  sons  but  poor  company. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

The  two  months  which  followed  were  to  Leuw  not 
so  much  a  succession  of  days  and  weeks  as  a  linkless 
chain  of  unabating  activity,  entailed  by  the  final  trans- 
ference of  his  affairs  to  his  London  establishment,  the 
selection  of  his  staff,  and  the  thousand  and  one  details 
preliminary  to  the  Working  order  of  an  extensive  con- 
cern. It  was  true  that  before  his  return  to  London 
he  had  scarcely  intended  to  set  up  operations  on  the 
large  scale  which  now  they  seemed  likely  to  assume. 
He  had,  perhaps,  anticipated  nothing  more  than  the 
appointing  of  a  reliable  agent,  and  so  to  render  his 
own  presence  in  England  necessary  only  at  periodic 
intervals.  But  from  the  first  day  that  he  resumed 
contact  with  it,  the  fascination  of  this,  the  greatest 
business  centre  of  the  world,  had  magnetized  him 
hopelessly.  The  stir  and  the  bustle,  the  amazing,  the 
magnificent  manifestations  of  its  multifarious  en- 
ergies, called  out  to  him  as  though  in  challenge,  and 
provoked  all  of  the  combativeness  of  his  disposition. 
He  felt  that,  whatever  he  had  achieved,  he  had  never 
touched  the  bed-rock  of  his  powers;  he  had  accumu- 
lated, it  seemed  to  him,  a  surplus  residuum  of 
strength,  which  was  continually  crying  out  in  protest 
against  its  own  inutility.  Here  at  last  he  could  give 
it  scope.  It  was  time  that  he  found  outlet  for  it;  it 
might  become  stale  with  too  protracted  disuse,  and 
from  being  an  available  help  grow  into  a  cumbersome 
incubus. 


382  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

In  addition  to  the  sense  of  his  full-grown  oppor- 
tunities came  the  duty  he  owed  to  the  Scheme — not, 
however,  as  a  mere  make-weight,  but  as  a  considera- 
tion of  equal  rank  and  force;  more  than  equal,  Leuw 
might  have  admitted  to  himself,  had  he  dared.  The 
Scheme  itself  had  so  far  made  but  insignificant  head- 
way. Leuw's  own  pre-occupation  had  found  its 
counterpart  in  Phil's,  who  could  not  afford  to  allow 
himself  any  further  respite  in  the  preparation  for  his 
law  "  Final."  The  examination  had  finished  yester- 
day, and  now  Leuw  was  waiting  for  his  brother  in  the 
private  room  he  had  detached  for  himself  in  the  im- 
posing offices  off  Throgmorton  Street.  It  was  at 
the  advice  of  Mr.  Alexander  himself  that  they  had 
decided  on  putting  their  project  into  practice  without 
further  delay,  and  without  waiting  for  the  weather- 
signs  of  public  opinion.  He  thought  it  probable  that 
the  communal  leaders  would  be  more  impressed  with 
the  desirability  of  the  Scheme,  if  they  saw  its  origin- 
ators give  token  of  their  earnestness  by  an  inde- 
pendent course  of  action.  The  spectacle  of  two  indi- 
viduals essaying  the  initiative  of  a  task  which,  by  the 
nature  of  it,  must  necessarily  rely  on  support  of  which 
they  had  no  guarantee,  might  turn  its  quixotic  side 
to  the  more  thoughtless.  The  more  provident,  how- 
ever, would  see  in  it  nothing  but  evidence  of  a  high- 
spirited  disinterestedness;  and  the  quiet  confidence  it 
argued  could  not  but  appeal  intimately  to  their  most 
generous  instincts.  And  so  the  mere  introductory 
steps  might  succeed  in,  so  to  speak,  forcing  the  hand 
of  the  community.  Mr.  Alexander's  view  was  per- 
haps prompted  more  by  the  fact  that  Leuw  and  Phil 
had  evidently  made  up  their  minds  to  begin  without 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  383 

any  sicle-glance  at  adventitious  circumstances;  but  his 
hopeful  words  could  not  come  amiss,  even  if  looked  at 
in  the  light  of  a  spur  to  a  willing  horse.  At  any  rate, 
the  two  brothers  had  arranged  to  meet  that  morning 
in  order  to  deliberate  finally  on  the  all-important  ques- 
tion of  the  site  whereon  the  Institute  was  to  be  lo- 
cated. 

If  Leuw  was  reluctant  to  admit  how  greatly  the 
Scheme  had  taken  hold  of  him,  it  was  because  he  knew 
that  it  had  done  so  not  altogether  on  its  own  merits. 
He  would  have  had  to  own  that,  from  being  a  goal  in 
itself,  it  had,  in  some  degree,  become  degraded  to  the 
level  of  a  means  to  an  end;  and  his  whole  being  cried 
shame  upon  this  discount  on  its  dignity.  He  thought 
it  nothing  short  01  an  act  of  defalcation  to  make 
capital  out  of  it  for  the  serving  of  his  own  purposes, 
however  much  his  heart  might  tempt  him  thereto. 
For,  indeed,  he  could  not  gainsay  the  fact  that  the 
Scheme  was  developing  into  an  acknowledged  bond 
of  sympathy  between  himself  and  Dulcie.  It  raised 
for  them  a  platform  of  mutual  interest  on  which,  if  he 
had  not  known  better  than  to  give  his  hopes  free  play, 
Leuw  might  have  fancied  other  things  than  her  keen 
desire  for  its  consummation  would  possibly  find  room. 
The  enthusiasm  wherewith  Dulcie  had  welcomed  the 
Scheme  at  her  first  knowledge  of  it  had  settled  down 
into  a  reasoning,  deep-rooted  admiration  the  more  its 
possibilities  had  taken  shape  in  her  imagination. 
Leuw,  for  his  part,  had  availed  himself  freely  of  his 
right  of  access  to  the  Duveen  family  circle,  spending 
there  at  least  one  evening  in  every  week.  As  to  the  con- 
sistency of  Dulcie's  cordiality,  he  could  not — once  he 
had  got  over  his  surprise  at  it — entertain  any  doubt. 


384  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

Occasionally  he  felt  the  impulse  to  analyze  what 
measure  of  it  belonged  to  him  as  the  man,  and  what  as 
the  embodied  embryo  of  the  Scheme,  which,  it  was 
clear,  Dulcie  was  taking  more  and  more  to  her  heart 
as  a  personal  ambition.  But  he  refrained;  he  might 
dupe  himself  into  an  illusion  which  he  would  find 
harder  to  bear  than  his  present  uncertainty.  He  even 
restrained  his  wonder  at  her  complete  disregard  of 
the  confession  he  had  let  slip  from  him.  That  she 
knew  what  she  knew  was  unquestionable;  he  might 
have  ascribed  her  ignoring  it  to  the  almost  childlike 
ingenuousness  of  her  character,  or  even  to  an  uncon- 
scious coquetry,  which  showed  the  eternal  feminine  in 
her.  But  he  did  neither.  He  reflected  that,  after  all, 
what  he  had  said  was  liable,  if  she  wished  it,  to  a  per- 
fectly colorless  interpretation,  and  did  not  impose  on 
her  any  definite  attitude.  Instead,  he  reserved  his 
perplexity  for  the  understanding  he  had  imagined  to 
exist  between  Dulcie  and  Phil.  If  was  clear  to  him 
that  their  bearing  to  each  other  was  not  by  any  means 
in  keeping  with  his  original  notion*  At  times  he  sus- 
pected that  it  was  a  one-sided  state  of  things,  that 
Dulcie's  response  was  warmer  than  Phil  actually  gave 
occasion  for.  Leuw,  however,  had  never  probed  his 
brother,  for  fear  of  hearing  something  to  ratify  his 
suspicion.  And  Leuw  would  have  been  mortified  be- 
yond all  measure  at  having  wormed  his  way  into  a 
secret  which  even  in  a  woman  of  coarsest  fibre  should 
be  hedged  in  with  a  sanctity  of  its  own.  In  Dulcie 
he  would  have  deprecated  it  more  for  his  own  sake 
than  for  hers.  Pity  looks  down,  not  up;  if  he  pitied 
her — how  would  he  be  able  to  do  otherwise? — he 
would  be  poorer  by  an  ideal.     And  that  is  a  loss  no 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  385 

•right-minded  man  sustains  without  at  once  fancying 
himself  on  the  brink  of  moral  bankruptcy. 

And  so  Leuw,  as  far  as  his  emotions  were  con- 
cerned, had  done  nothing  but  mark  time.  His  will- 
power had  kept  him  stationary,  because  in  front  of 
him  stretched  unreconnoitred  ground.  But  for  all 
that  he  could  give  himself  no  guarantee  that  his  self- 
restraint  would  hold  out  as  long  as  he  needed  it. 
Some  unguarded  moment  he  would  break  loose,  more 
unequivocally  than  on  the  other  occasion,  and  then 
she  would  have  no  choice  but  an  absolute  rift.  And 
Leuw  was  determined,  if  he  could  not  gain  Dulcie's 
love,  to  reserve  himself  the  consolation  of  what  was 
next  best  to  it — her  friendship.  To  that  the  Scheme 
had  already  contributed  largely;  but,  unless  he 
strained  his  conscientiousness  unduly,  he  need  not 
shrink  from  exacting  yet  another  service  from  it:  to 
answer  him  the  question  whether  or  not  something 
more  was  possible.  While  the  Scheme  was  yet  in  its 
theoretic  stage,  it  was  natural  that  Dulcie's  thoughts 
should  narrow  themselves  down  to  her  anticipation. 
It  would  be  different  once  it  had  become  an  actuality. 
As  fellow-workers  they  would  find  more  numerous 
points  of  contact.  They  would  feel  the  necessity  for 
mutual  encouragement;  they  would  penetrate  into  one 
another's  hearts,  to  assure  themselves  that  conjecture 
of  success  in  the  one  found  a  true  echo  in  the  other; 
soul  would  speak  more  confidentially  to  soul.  If, 
then,  and  that  within  reasonable  time,  something  that 
was  its  own  revelation  did  not  filter  forth,  he  would 
know  she  had  nothing  to  reveal. 

The  oracle  to  which  Leuw  thus  looked  for  guid- 
ance was  not  so   far  distant  as  would  appear.     The 

25 


386  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

night  before  had  brought  him  a  suggestion  which,  he 
was  certain,  Phil  would  hail  as  nothing  less  than  an 
inspiration.  It  was  to  the  effect  that  the  interval  be- 
tween then  and  the  erecting  of  a  permanent  home  for 
the  Institute  should  be  valuably  occupied  by  setting 
on  foot  a  preliminary  organization  in  temporary 
premises,  which  no  doubt  could  be  readily  found. 
And  so,  when  it  was  to  be  transferred  to  its  domicile 
proper,  the  work  would  have  got  beyond  its  tentative 
flounderings,  and  could  at  once  begin  to  steer  its 
course  along  the  track  of  a  well-established  routine. 
Leuw  smiled  to  himself  as  he  thought  of  the  avidity 
wherewith  Phil  would  snatch  at  the  idea.  It  made 
his  heart  glow  to  feel  he  was  preparing  for  his  brother 
a  keen  and  unexpected  pleasure.  Since  his  return 
Leuw's  feelings  had  quickened  towards  Phil  beyond 
his  liveliest  expectations.  To  tell  the  truth,  he  had 
looked  forward  to  the  resumption  of  their  intercourse 
with  some  apprehension.  Their  lines  of  life  had  been 
so  divergent  that  what  should  have  been  a  reunion 
might  have  turned  into  a  clashing — a  clashing  of  sen- 
timents, external  and  fundamental.  Leuw  had  pic- 
tured Phil  as  a  typical  man  of  the  world,  cynic,  super- 
cilious, superficial,  and  had  feared  that  the  tie  of  kin- 
ship could  be  kept  intact  only  by  skilful  accommoda- 
tion on  his  own  part.  His  disappointment  had  been 
as  great  as  it  was  gratifying.  And  then  had  come 
the  Scheme,  providentially  it  almost  seemed,  to  put 
the  seal  on  their  understanding,  and  make  it  absolute. 
The  possession  it  had  taken  of  Phil  not  only  surprised 
Leuw — it  had  sometimes  frightened  him.  Since  that 
night  at  Mrs.  Duveen's,  when  they  first  let  the  secret 
of  it  out  of  their  keeping,  Phil  had  referred  to  it  on  all 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  387 

occasions  with  an  uncompromising  obstinacy,  as 
though  he  were  vindicating  it  in  the  teeth  of  a  fiercely 
resolute  opposition.  To  Leuw's  mind  there  seemed  no 
call  for  it.  Mr.  Alexander  had  so  far  furnished  no 
definite  report  concerning  his  mission,  but  it  was  ob- 
vious from  his  manner  that  he  had  no  cause  to  be  dis- 
contented with  his  results.  Leuw  looked  on  this  mys- 
terious aggressiveness  of  Phil's  as  the  dogged  perse- 
verance which  was  exercising  itself  on  imaginary 
obstacles,  so  as  to  be  able  to  cope  better  with  what- 
ever real  ones  might  arise.  The  thought  touched  and 
comforted  Leuw.  Be  the  outcome  of  the  Scheme 
what  it  might,  here  was  at  least  one  other  man  beside 
himself  ready  and  willing  to  put  his  very  best  into  it, 
to  make  it  the  labor  of  his  life,  to  concentrate  on  it 
faculties  which  would  be  a  force  in  any  other  prov- 
ince. Indeed,  the  certainty  of  Phil's  co-operation  was 
so  far  the  only  surety  of  success  the  Scheme  possessed. 
What,  in  truth,  was  the  Scheme  without  Phil?  And 
now  that  it  had  assumed  for  Leuw  a  momentous  side- 
issue  as  well.  .  .  . 

He  rose  hurriedly  as  he  heard  Phil's  quick,  eager 
knock  at  the  door.  A  glance  at  the  flushed  face  and 
bright,  restless  eyes  told  Leuw  that  his  brother  had  not 
brought  to  the  discussion  of  the  weighty  question 
before  them  the  calm,  sober  state  of  mind  which  it 
demanded. 

"Any  news?"  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  Leuw,  great  news — it  came  this  morning," 
replied  Phil,  the  quietness  of  his  tone  throwing  his 
general  agitation  into  stronger  relief.     "  Read  this." 

Leuw's  vague  hope  that  Phil  had  brought  with  him 
some  important  announcement  affecting  the  fortunes 
of  the  Scheme  fell  to  zero  as  Phil  handed  him  an 


388  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

official-looking  document.  Slowly  he  unfolded  it, 
and  ran  through  the  contents  as  fast  as  his  half-dazed 
brain  allowed  him  to  take  in  their  meaning.  What 
he  read  was  this: 

St.  James'-in-the-East   Radical   and   Liberal   Associa- 
te011- January  ioth,  18— . 
Philip  Lipcott-Duveen,  Esq., 

Dear  Sir. — I  am  desired  by  the  Council  of  the  above 
Association  to  communicate  to  you  the  following  ex- 
tract from  their  minutes: 

"  Resolved,  that  in  view  of  the  impending  retire- 
ment of  Sir  Saul  Simmondson,  Bart.,  M.  P.,  from  the 
representation  of  the  St.  James'-in-the-East  division 
of  the  Tower  Hamlets,  Mr.  Philip  Lipcott-Duveen  be 
approached  to  contest  the  seat  at  the  forthcoming 
General  Election  in  the  Liberal  and  Radical  interest.,, 

The  Council  wish  me  to  add  that  they  are  fully  con- 
vinced of  your  competence  to  reach  the  high  standard 
of  efficiency  and  popularity  which  has  been  made  a 
precedent  in  this  constituency  by  Sir  Saul,  who  would 
find  in  you  a  worthy  successor.  It  is  also  the  opinion 
of  the  Council  that,  by  the  many-sidedness  of  your 
labors  in  this  neighborhood  as  well  as  by  your  keenly 
sympathetic  attitude  on  all  questions  industrial  and 
economic,  you  have  secured  for  yourself  the  suffrages 
of  the  workingmen,  who  form  the  majority  of  the  di- 
visional electors,  and  have  thus  placed  the  result  of 
the  contest  beyond  all  doubt. 

Awaiting  the  favor  of  your  early  reply, 
I  am,  dear  sir, 

Yours  faithfully, 

HENRY  T.  TYLER, 

Hon.  Sec. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  389 

Phil  was  striding  up  and  down  the  room,  deep  in  his 
own  thoughts.  Presently  he  turned,  and  saw  that 
Leuw  had  finished  reading,  and  was  staring  absently 
before  him. 

"Well?"  he  asked  expectantly. 

"  Oh,  ah,  yes,"  said  Leuw,  looking  up  at  him  like 
a  man  startled  out  of  a  deep  sleep.  "  I  congratulate 
you,  Phil." 

Phil  gripped  the  proffered  hand,  and  recommenced 
his  striding,  but  his  step  seemed  more  buoyant. 

'  I  can't  say  I  expected  it,"  he  rattled  on  eagerly, 
1  nor  do  I  flatter  myself  that  the  offer  is  due  entirely 
to  my  own  deserts.  I  knew  I  was  making  for  myself 
something  of  a  name  in  the  neighborhood,  although 
I  had  no  idea  it  would  lead  to  anything.  And  I  am 
certain  it  would  not,  if  Sir  Saul — you  know  he  is 
Aunt's  cousin  by  marriage — had  not  been  there  to 
put  in  a  strong  word  for  me." 

Then   I   suppose  you  will  accept?  '    asked  Leuw 
mechanically. 

'  Suppose?"  echoed  Phil  with  mingled  surprise  and 
reproach.  "  You  surely  don't  expect  me  to  let  such 
a  magnificent  chance  run  to  waste?  I  should  have 
notified  my  acceptance  by  return  of  post,  though  it 
would  have  looked  a  little  undignified.  Only  I  re- 
membered that,  before  actually  doing  so,  I  ought  to 
assure  myself  formally  of  a  certain  something,  even 
if  I  have  every  reason  to  consider  that  assurance  a 
foregone  conclusion." 

Leuw  did  not  enquire  into  the  meaning  of  Phil's 
somewhat  cryptic  reference.  He  was  dimly  conscious 
that  Phil  had  reasonable  cause  for  taking  umbrage  at 
his  utter  lack  of  interest;  but  Phil  evidently  noticed 
nothing. 


390 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 


"  By  Jove,  Leuw,"  he  went  on  radiantly,  "  I  can't 
help  wondering  at  my  luck.  Here  is  a  thing  which, 
if  I  had  struggled  after  it  ever  so  hard,  might  never 
have  got  within  my  reach,  and  now  drops  into  my 
lap  like  a  ripe  apple  from  a  tree.  I  never  thought  it 
possible  to  take  so  much  pride  and  pleasure  in  a  prize 
a  man  hasn't  worked  for;  it  is  enough  to  revolutionize 
all  my  ideas  on  the  disciplinary  value  of  putting  one's 
hand  to  the  plough.  Still,  I  dare  say  you  have  some- 
thing better  to  do  than  listen  to  my  cheap  moralist 
maunderings.  So  long,  then;  don't  forget  you  are 
booked  for  Aunt's  this  evening." 

He  was  about  to  hurry  from  the  room,  when  he 
stopped  abruptly,  and  stood  fumbling  with  the  door 
knob. 

"  Oh,  by  the  way — really,  I  must  be  quite  off  my 
head  with  excitement,"  he  said  awkwardly.  "  About 
the  Scheme,  Leuw.  Of  course,  it  will  be  clear  to  you 
that  I  shall  be  unable  to  take  any  active  part  in  it  for 
the  next  six  months  or  so,  when  I  shall  naturally  have 
my  hands  full  with  the  election  campaign.  After  that 
I  shall  be  once  more  at  your  disposal.  We  can  hardly 
flatter  ourselves  that  the  trifling  delay  will  result  in 
hurrying  on  a  crisis,  can  we?  " 

And  nodding  smilingly,  he  hastened  out. 

Leuw  remained  alone  with  a  great  emptiness  in  his 
heart.  No  wonder  it  felt  so  hollow;  had  not  Phil 
taken  everything  out  of  it?  It  was  even  void  of  any 
trace  of  resentment  against  the  despoiler.  Leuw  had 
retained  enough  presence  of  mind  to  see  that  to  blame 
a  man  for  acting  humanly  was  to  pick  a  quarrel  with 
God.  What  else  was  he  to  expect  but  that  Phil  should 
be  dazzled  by  the  glitter  of  his  splendid  opportunity? 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  391 

Perhaps  if  it  had  not  flashed  on  him  so  suddenly,  he 
might  have  had  time  to  shut  his  eyes  to  the  tempta- 
tion, to  collect  himself,  and  remember  the  duty  he 
owed  to  his  purpose.  As  it  was,  he  could  hardly  be 
called  a  renegade. 

So  Leuw  made  excuses  to  himself  for  Phil,  feeling 
glad  that  the  brotherly  love  on  which  he  had  con- 
gratulated himself  just  before  had  survived  the  su- 
preme test  to  which  it  had  been  put.  He  forgave  him 
everything.  He  forgave  the  niggardly  apology  which 
Phil  had  tendered  him  for  throwing  over  the  Scheme 
like  old  lumber,  and  which  Leuw  might  have  regarded 
as  a  personal  slight.  Pie  forgave  the  perfunctory 
promise  Phil  had  held  out  to  him — as  it  were  for  a 
sop — a  promise  that  was  self-contradictory  on  the 
face  of  it.  Was  it  not  obvious  that  the  stress  of  Phil's 
parliamentary  duties  must  preclude  the  idea  of  his 
identifying  himself,  whole  or  even  part,  with  the  for- 
tunes of  the  Scheme? 

Yes,  the  Scheme  was  dead — dead  ere  its  birth.  One 
question  seemed  to  stare  at  him  wherever  he  looked: 
what  would  Dulcie  say?  For  answer  it  came  home 
to  him  what  else  the  death  of  the  Scheme  meant  for 
himself.  It  meant  .  .  .  But  no;  he  was  not  going 
back  on  his  word.  He  had  forgiven  his  brother  Phil, 
and  there  the  matter  ended.  Phil  had  chosen  to  wash 
his  hands  of  the  obligations  that  called  to  him.  So 
Leuw  would  have  to  work  for  the  two  of  them,  in  or- 
der to  make  good  the  other's  dereliction  and  retrieve 
the  family  honor.  That  he  could  not  carry  out  what 
he  had  set  his  heart  on,  was  no  reason  why  he  should 
fold  his  hands  idly,  despondently.  There  were  many 
things  he  could  do;  and — Phil  or  no  Phil — he  would 
do  them. 


392  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT 

He  took  up  his  hat,  and  went  into  the  open.  But 
though  he  thought  he  had  gathered  in  his  reins  of 
self-control  as  short  as  possible,  never  had  the  streets 
roared  so  loudly — never  had  they  flaunted  so  boldly 
their  stony  pitilessness  for  souls  in  travail. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

Phil's  errand  lay  towards  St.  John's  Wood.  His 
buoyancy  prompted  a  journey  on  foot  thither,  while 
his  impatience  counseled  a  cab.  The  latter  carried  the 
day,  much  to  Phil's  eventual  satisfaction,  for  just  as 
he  got  to  the  house,  he  found  Mrs.  Duveen  on  the 
point  of  sallying  out  for  a  morning  call. 

"What  has  happened?"  she  asked,  catching  both 
his  hands  in  hers. 

"  Nothing  much — only  this,"  laughed  Phil,  as  dis- 
engaging one  hand  he  held  out  to  her  the  letter  from 
the  Association. 

"A  surprise,  isn't  it?"  he  said  gleefully,  watching 
her  face  light  up. 

"  Not  altogether,"  she  replied,  resuming  once  more 
possession  of  both  his  hands.  "  Sir  Saul  warned  me 
the  other  day  that  I  would  shortly  hear  of  '  something 
to  your  advantage,'  though  I  had  no  idea  it  would 
be  this." 

"  I  am  keeping  you,"  said  Phil  with  some  anxiety. 

"  Not  in  the  least;  you  are  much  more  important 
than  my  call,"  replied  Mrs.  Duveen,  quickly  untying 
her  bonnet-strings.  "  Come,  sit  down  here,  and  talk 
about  it." 

"  That  is  what  I  very  much  want  to,"  said  Phil 
soberly.     "Is — is  Dulcie  in?" 

"  No,  she  would  not  let  the  fine,  dry  day  slip  by 
without  her  bicycle-spin." 

Phil  looked  relieved.     "  Because  I  don't  want  any- 


394 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


body  to  interrupt  us  for  ten  'minutes  or  so,"  he  ex- 
plained apologetically. 

"  Quick,  tell  me,"  came  from  Mrs.  Duveen. 

"  The  fact  of  the  matter  is  I  cannot  accept  this  in- 
vitation without  your  consent,"  said  Phil  resolutely. 

"Without  my  consent?  "  Mrs.  Duveen  smiled  in- 
credulously. 

"  That  is  what  it  comes  to,  Aunt.  A  parliamentary 
career  means  certain  expenses,  both  before  and  after 
the  election,  and  at  present  I  could  not  dream  of  tak- 
ing these  on  myself." 

"  Ah!  "  breathed  Mrs.  Duveen. 

"  The  very  moment  the  offer  reached  me,  I  made 
up  my  mind  to  come  and  ask  for  your  help,  ask  it  of 
my  own  accord,  instead  of  beating  about  the  bush, 
and  waiting  till  you  found  out,  and  came  to  make  ad- 
vances yourself.  I  wanted,  in  a  way,  to  retrieve,  my- 
self for  having  done  that  so  often.  Whenever  you 
showed  yourself  ready  to  do  me  a  favor,  I  in  a  way 
resented  it,  and  then  in  the  end  gave  in  with  a  bad 
grace,  which  must  have  made  you  feel  you  were  ac- 
cepting the  favor  instead  of  conferring  it.  This  time 
I  don't  want  to  run  the  risk  of  putting  you  in  such  a 
false  position." 

'  Don't  say  that,  Phil,"  entreated  Mrs.  Duveen. 

"  But  I  will  say  it,  and  more  too,"  disobeyed  Phil. 
'  I  want  to  let  you  see  how  thoroughly  I  know  you. 
Not  only  have  I  made  up  my  mind  to  ask  you  for 
your  help,  but  I  am  prepared  to  stand  or  fall  by  your 
answer.  It  is  through  you,  and  you  alone,  that  I  have 
come  to  the  point  where  I  can  take  this  great  leap; 
and  therefore  it  is  due  to  you,  as  your  sole  and  in- 
contestable right,  to  do  me  this  final,  this  culminat- 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  395 

ing  service.  I  might  have  asked  it  of  my  brother 
Leuw,  and  I  know  I  should  not  have  been  refused. 
But — I  say  it  again — I  shall  take  it  from  you,  or  not 
at  all.  If  it  is  out  of  your  will  or  out  of  your 
power  .  .  ." 

'  Phil,  it  is  neither — believe  me,  Phil,  it  is  neither," 
broke  in  Mrs.  Duveen  with  almost  pitiful  eagerness. 
'  Oh,  you  don't  know  how  glad  and  proud  you  have 
made  me  feel." 

Phil  came  over  to  her,  and  stood  looking  into  the 
kind,  moist  eyes  uplifted  to  his.  It  was  some  seconds 
before  he  spoke  again. 

'  Thank  you,  dear,  thank  you.  I  will  not  be  so 
mean  as  to  deceive  you.  It  was  because  I  was  so 
sure  of  you  that  I  did  not  hesitate  to  break  down  my 
bridges — I  mean,  that  I  resolved  to  approach  no  one 
else  after  you.  As  it  is,  I  wish  to  suggest  a  com- 
promise. I  want  the  money  not  as  a  gift,  but  as  a 
loan.  It  is  ridiculous  of  me  to  think  of  returning  to 
you  in  cold  coin  all  I  have  actually  cost  you.  But 
I  must  begin  somewhere.  Everybody  tells  me  my 
prospects  at  the  bar  are  good.  And  after  all  I  am 
selfish  enough  to  wish  to  safeguard  my  feelings.  This 
is  not  a  matter  entirely  between  ourselves.  It  would 
not  do  me  any  good  to  go  about  with  the  idea  that  I 
am  robbing  Dulcie." 

"  Robbing  Dulcie?     With  Bram  to  look  after  her?" 

'  It  would  be  useless  and  ungracious  of  me  to  pur- 
sue the  subject  any  further  just  now;  only  I  reserve 
myself  the  right  to  my  own  thoughts.  Once  more, 
then,  many,  many  thanks." 

And  this  time  his  lips  did  more  than  speak  his 
gratitude. 


396  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

Then  he  resumed  immediately. 

"  But  I  am  not  done  with  you  yet." 

"  I  don't  want  you  to  be,  dear,"  was  the  smiling 
reply. 

"  I  don't  know  whether  you  will  be  equally 
pleased." 

"  Still,  I  shall  risk  hearing  you.  Is  it  again  a  matter 
of  my  consent?  " 

"  Perhaps  you  will  think  it  ought  to  be,"  said  Phil, 
his  eyes  seeking  the  ground;  "but  even  if  you  do,  I 
cannot  possibly  leave  it  to  your  discretion.  It  is 
something  I  must  take  into  my  own  hands,  and  my 
telling  you  so  is  as  much  as  you  can  expect." 

"You  mean  Effie?"  said  Mrs.  Duveen  quickly. 

Phil  looked  at  her  startled  and  anxious.  "  How 
do  you  know?  " 

"  You  foolish  boy,  how  could  I  help  knowing? 
Everybody  knows." 

"Do  you — do  you  think  Effie  does?"  quavered 
Phil. 

Mrs.  Duveen  sat  up  in  her  surprise. 

"Surely  you  are  not  serious  in  asking  me  that?" 
she  demanded. 

"Why  not?  If  you  gauged  my  feelings  so  correctly, 
why  not  hers?  " 

"  And  you  mean  to  imply  that  you  have  not  assured 
yourself  on  that  point?  " 

"  If  I  had,  there  would  be  no  need  for  me  to  do  so 
now.  I  did  think  at  one  time  that  I  could  draw  cer- 
tain conclusions;  but  of  late  I  have  become  a  little 
doubtful." 

'  I  can't  understand  it — it  seems  so  strange,"  mused 
Mrs.  Duveen. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  397 

Phil  deliberated.  Should  he  explain  her  the  mys- 
tery? His  intention  had  ever  been  to  keep  it  under 
cover,  for  his  telling  of  it  must  needs  involve  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  self-glorification.  But  then  again  he 
considered  she  would  probably  lose  sight  of  that  in 
the  delight  which  the  revelation  would  bring  to  her. 
And  she  had  been  so  good  to  him  that  to  refrain  from 
giving  her  every  particle  of  joy  it  was  in  his  power  to 
give  seemed  a  downright  act  of  despoliation.  .  .  . 

And  so  he  told  her — told  her  nearly  in  the  very 
words  he  had  repeated  to  himself  the  evening  he 
conned  his  diary  to  take  stock  of  things  as  they  were 
- — how  he  had  held  back  from  Efifie,  because  he  wanted 
Mrs.  Duveen  to  retain  her  claim  on  him  unshared, 
unchallenged,  as  long  as  he  could  let  her  do  so  with- 
out fatally  injuring  his  chances  for  what  he  considered 
an  essential  in  the  economy  of  his  future.  And  now 
the  time  had  come,  and  he  dared  not  tarry  any  longer. 

He  had  not  miscalculated  his  results.  With  a  little 
cry  of  exultation  Mrs.  Duveen  hurried  up  to  him, 
and  laid  her  hands  on  both  his  shoulders;  there  was  an 
air  of  benediction  in  the  gesture. 

"  And  then  you  talk  to  me  of  loans  instead  of 
gifts?"  she  asked  with  a  reproachfulness  that  was 
more  tender  than  a  caress.  "  I  should,  indeed,  be  a 
hard  creditor,  if  after  this  I  did  not  make  you  out  a 
quittance  in  full.  Phil,  Phil,  I  wish  I  could  summon 
up  heart  to  scold  you.  How  dare  you  think  I  should 
demand  from  you  such  a  sacrifice?  You  should  have 
distinguished,  for  my  sake,  between  generosity  and 
extravagance.  We  have — that  is,  you  have — spoken 
too,  too  often  of  the  give-and-take  there  has  been  be- 
tween us.     Please,  Phil,  promise  this  will  be  the  last 


398  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

time;  your  mere  hinting  at  it  again  would  shame  me 
unutterably." 

"  I  hoped  it  would  make  us  a  little  more  even,"  re- 
plied Phil  simply. 

"  Say  a  little  more  than  even,  and  you  will  be  right. 
And  now  I  am  going  to  make  good  to  you  the  bal- 
ance— with  nothing  more  than  a  piece  of  womanly  ad- 
vice. Don't  let  Effie  guess  that  the  reason  for  your 
— your  dilatoriness  was  your  consideration  for  an- 
other woman,  or  I  should  not  answer  for  the  conse- 
quences. I  say  it,  not  because  she  is  Effie,  but  be- 
cause I  know  my  sex." 

"  That  is  harsh  criticism,"  smiled  Phil.  "  But,  seri- 
ously, I  had  thought  of  that  already.  Don't  be  afraid, 
though;  I  am  not  going  to  approach  the  woman  I 
am  asking  to  be  my  wife  with  a  lie.  The  reason  I 
have  prepared  for  her  is  equally  honest." 

"Well,  let  it  be  any  reason  but. the  one  you  gave 
me,"  iterated  Mrs.  Duveen.  "  When  will  you  see 
her?" 

"  I  expect  to  find  her  at  home  now." 

"  Then  go.  You  know  my  good  wishes  go  with 
you." 

As  Phil  walked  down  the  half  length  of  street  which 
separated  Mrs.  Duveen's  house  from  that  of  Mrs. 
Elkin,  there  came  upon  him  an  access  of  regret  that 
he  had  not  made  the  latter  his  first  destination.  He 
grew  unpleasantly  conscious  that  the  high-mettled, 
almost  truculent  self-satisfaction  with  which  he  had 
started  forth  in  the  morning  had  somehow  taken  to 
itself  a  leakage.  There  was  a  flabbiness,  a  want  of 
tone  in  his  mood,  which  disconcerted  him  by  its 
alarming  inadequacy  to  the  purpose  in  hand.     And 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  399 

yet,  there  had  been  nothing  in  his  interview  with  Mrs. 
Duveen  but  what  was  strong,  inspiriting;  it  ought  to 
have  acted  on  him  like  an  astringent.  And  then  he 
knew.  If  the  cause  did  not  lie  in  the  past,  it  must 
lie  in  the  future.  It  was  quite  true.  He  was  going 
forward  to  meet,  not  an  unquestionable  certainty,  but 
an  issue  veiled  in  doubt.  It  was  Erne's  ambiguous 
behavior  during  the  past  few  months  which  was  de- 
moralizing him.  He  had  tried  to  puzzle  it  out  more 
than  once;  but  each  time  he  had  got  no  further  than 
ascribing  it  to  a  whim,  a  humor,  which,  from  his 
knowledge  of  her,  might  pain,  but  not  perplex  him. 
And  now  it  came  on  him  as  an  inspiration,  which 
caught  his  breath,  that  it  might  mean  something  else, 
something  vitally,  mortally,  different  from  his  con- 
jecture. His  fear  grew  to  a  frenzy;  he  almost  ran 
the  last  few  yards. 

"Oh,  it's  you?':  said  Effie  looking  up  languidly 
from   her  writing-table  as  he  entered. 

"  It  is,"  he  replied  rather  lamely. 

She  made  no  move  to  shake  hands.  "  Mother  is 
taking  it  easy  this  morning;  she  has  a  bit  of  a  head- 
ache," continued  Effie. 

"  I  am  very  sorry,"  said  Phil. 

Effie  ignored  his  sympathy.  "  Which  means  I  can't 
practice,  because  she  says  she  can  feel  me  playing 
even  though  she  can't  hear  me.  I  don't  know 
whether  to  take  it  as  a  compliment  or  not.  So  I  am 
bringing  my  correspondence  a  little  more  up  to  date." 

"Am  I  interrupting  you?7' 

"  Not  particularly.  Sit  down.  What  are  you  do- 
ing in  the  neighborhood  at  this  time  of  the  day?' 

"  I  called  at  Aunt's,"  he  replied  dully.     Her  cold, 


400  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

matter-of-fact    reception    had    made    him    effervesce 
utterly.     He  felt  all  dregs. 

Effie  made  some  commonplace  enquiries  concerning 
Mrs.  Duveen  and  Dulcie,  and  there  was  a  pause. 

kk  You  seem  busier  than  ever  at  the  piano  lately," 
said  Phil  finally. 

"  All  people  have  their  hobbies — I  don't  see  why  I 
should  be  an  exception,"  she  rejoined  with  an  irrita- 
tion he  could  not  understand.  There  was  a  second 
pause.  Phil  attempted  to  tide  it  over  by  prodding  a 
piece  of  coal  perilously  overhanging  the  grate  back 
into  safety. 

"Do  you  want  to  go  on  with  your  letters?'  he 
asked  without  facing  round  on  her. 

"  I  think  I  shall,  if  you  continue  to  be  so  enter- 
taining." 

Phil  pulled  himself  together.  He  could  not  let  this 
go  on.  This  was  how  most  of  their  conversation  had 
of  late  got  to  assume  its  strained  tone.  But  to  let  it 
reach  tension  point  to-day  was,  perhaps,  to  create  a 
situation  which  might  prove  irretrievable.  Gently 
Phil  laid  down  the  fire-iron,  rose,  and  stood  suppli- 
antly  before  her. 

"  Effie,  I  want  you,"  he  pleaded  in  a  whisper. 

She  rose  also,  retreated  a  step  or  two,  startled  and 
confused. 

"Want  me?     What  for?" 

'For  myself,  Effie.     Don't  you  understand?  ,: 

She  made  no  reply,  but  walked  up  to  the  window, 
where  she  stood  drumming  a  tattoo.  Presently  she 
turned  round  to  him. 

'Why   did  you  not   come  before?"   she  asked   as 
though  she  were  enquiring  for  the  hour  of  the  day. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  401 

He  had  thought  himself  well-prepared  for  the  ques- 
tion, he  had  expected  it;  and  yet,  now  that  it  was  put, 
it  took  him  like  an  ambush. 

4k  Effie,  am  I  too  late,  am  I?"  he  cried  wretchedly. 

'  I  asked  you  why  you  did  not  come  before,"  she 
repeated. 

"  Because  I  had  nothing  to  bring  you — except  my- 
self, and  I  was  afraid  that  would  not  be  enough  for 
you,"  was  the  answer,  eagerly  obedient.  "  What  in- 
deed had  I  to  show  you?  Petty  little  successes, 
trifling  triumphs,  which  in  the  aggregate  came  to 
nothing.  It  was  all  promise,  no  achievement.  And 
I  remembered  how  ambitious  you  were  for  me.  Two 
months  ago  I  thought  I  was  giving  you  earnest  that 
I  meant  great  things  by  letting  you  know  of  the 
Scheme,  mine  and  Leuw's.  You  did  not  think  so; 
you  flouted  it.  And  because  you  flouted  it,  I  took  it 
to  my  heart  all  the  more  strenuously,  insisted  on  it 
with  more  and  more  emphasis,  hoping  to  convince 
you  in  the  end  that  its  greatness  was  scope  enough  for 
any  man.  And  I  should  have  gone  on  trying  till  I  had 
succeeded.  But  now  I  can  offer  you  something  else 
— something  you  will  consider  greater,  because  in  its 
way  it  is  more  self-evident.  Listen,  Effie,  to  what 
occurred  this  morning.  Oh,  why  do  you  make  me 
feel  I  am  talking  to  deaf  ears?" 

"  I  beg  your  pardon ;  I  did  not  know  you  wanted 
me  to  adopt  a  gape-mouthed  attitude." 

And  she  was  about  to  settle  herself  back  in  her 
chair,  when  a  quick,  impulsive  movement  lifted  her 
up  again,  and  the  next  moment  he  felt  her  arms  about 
his  neck,  and  her  cheek  pressed  close  to  his. 

"  Phil,  my  Phil,"  she  murmured,  "  I  tried  with  all 
26 


402 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


my  strength  to  be  hard  and  cold  and  distant  to  you, 
but  I  can't — I  can't  Phil;  don't  tell  me  what  hap- 
pened this  morning — at  least  not  before  I  have  told 
you  I  want  you  too,  that  I  want  you  not  for  what  you 
do,  but  for  what  you  are.  Have  you  heard  me  say 
that,  Phil?" 

"  Yes,  dear,  I  have  heard  it." 

"  And  now,  what  did  happen  this  morning?  Quick, 
Phil." 

And  with  words  that  tripped  and  stumbled  over 
each  other  in  hot-footed  eagerness,  he  poured  his 
story  upon  her.  And  then  when  he  had  finished,  she 
made  him  go  through  it  again  so  that  she  could  count 
every  word.  Finally  she  made  him  produce  the  let- 
ter.    Then  she  was  satisfied. 

"  And  now  let  us  keep  perfectly  quiet  for  five 
minutes,  so  that  I  can  tell  myself  you  love  me,"  she 
laughed. 

But  she  did  not  keep  very  good  count  of  time,  for 
almost  immediately  her  tongue  was  at  work  again. 

"  Phil,  darling,  I  am  terribly  disappointed.  Look 
at  the  bold,  broad,  glaring  day  outside." 

He  cast  a  half-frightened  glance  through  the  win- 
dow. Then,  thinking  he  had  caught  her  drift,  he 
answered  smilingly: 

"  Well,  dearest,  let  it  glare.  We  shan't  let  it  glare 
us  out  of  countenance,  shall  we?" 

And  with  beaming  defiance  he  availed  himself  of 
his  new-found  privileges. 

She  put  him  from  her  gently.  "  Oh,  you  dear 
stupid,  I  didn't  mean  that.  I  meant  that  I  had  always 
imagined  this  picture  in  a  different  setting." 

"  And  what  was  your  setting,  dear?  " 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  403 

'  Certainly  not  this  horribly  prosy,  methodical 
room,  with  the  sun  staring  in  rudely  inquisitive.  I 
thought  it  would  be  some  wild,  grand,  boldly  jutting 
crag,  standing  all  alone  along  the  coast,  like  a  proud 
outcast,  with  the  organ-boom  of  the  incoming  tide 
mounting  up  from  below  and  the  soft  moonlight  play- 
ing on  it  pityingly  above.  .  .  ." 

"  And  extremely  convenient  for  jumping  over  in 
case  you  said  no,"  added  Phil  jestingly. 

"  Don't,"  slie  said,  clapping  her  hand  to  his  mouth. 
"  What  a  shame !  Now  you  have  taken  all  the  senti- 
ment out  of  it.  But  never  mind,  dear;  we  will  talk 
sense  instead.  Do  you  think  I  have  nothing  to  tell 
you?" 

'  Yes,  indeed,  dear,"  he  said  gravely.  "You  have 
to  tell  me  why  you  maltreated  me  so  horribly,  when 
— when  you  really  didn't  want  to." 

'  No,  I  didn't  want  to,  only  you  made  me.  I  was 
waiting — waiting,  and  you  stood  as  far  off  as  ever. 
What  was  I  to  think?  What  but  that  you  fancied  you 
could  keep  trailing  me  like  a  poor  fish  which  had  bitten 
on  to  the  hook,  and  that  you  could  pull  me  in  when 
you  thought  you  were  getting  tired  of  the  sport?  And 
that  made  me  angry — oh,  so  angry.  And  besides,  I 
felt  people  were  looking  questions  at  me,  and  I  dared 
not  even  shrug  my  shoulders,  and  say:  I  don't  know. 
So,  instead,  I  had  to  make  believe  I  didn't  care.  When 
it  came  to  a  struggle  between  my  feelings  and  my 
pride,  I  could  not  have  any  doubt  which  was  to  win, 
could  I,  dear?  " 

"  I  suppose  you  had  to  do  as  you  thought  right," 
he  said  soothingly. 

"  And  all  this  time  you  were  paying  me  the  highest 


404 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT 


tribute  a  man  can  pay  a  woman — you  did  not  think 
yourself  good  enough  for  me/'  she  went  on,  her  self- 
reproach  getting  the  upper  hand  of  her.  4k  But,  Phil, 
we  both  had  a  narrow  escape;  had  you  waited  a  little 
longer,  we  might  have  lost  each  other  for  always." 

He  paled  visibly.  "  Then  there  was  another  man?  ' 
he  said  fiercely. 

"  Not  one  man,  but  many,  and  women  too,  for  the 
matter  of  that.  In  fact,  Phil,  the  world  might  have 
taken  me  from  you." 

"  Don't  play  at  riddles,  Effie,  dear,"  he  begged 
earnestly. 

"  Wait  a  moment,"  she  said,  proceeding  to  unlock 
a  little  drawer  in  the  writing  table.  "  I  kept  it  here, 
right  under  mother's  nose,  where  she  would  not 
think  of  looking  for  contraband,"  she  added  half 
laughing. 

Phil  saw  little  cause  for  amusement;  he  saw  still 
less  as  he  glanced  through  the  stamped  and  signed 
agreement,  in  which  it  appeared  that  a  certain  some- 
body contracted  with  Miss  Effie  Elkin  for  a  series  of 
twelve  concerts  during  the  months  of  March,  April, 
and  May. 

"What  made  you  do  this?"  he  asked,  looking  at 
her  aghast. 

"  You  did,  dear.  I  had  to  go  in  for  something  to 
take  me  out  of  myself.  I  was  willing  to  sink  my  own 
ambition  in  yours;  but  when  I  saw  you  made  no  call 
for  the  sacrifice,  it  would  have  been  wasteful  not  to 
utilize  it  for  my  own  self,  would  it  not,  dear?  " 

"  And  what  are  you  going  to  do  now?  "  he  asked, 
ignoring  her  point. 

"  I  shall  do  what  you  tell  me." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  405 

"  No,  no,  don't  leave  it  to  me.  Speak  for  yourself," 
he  said  quickly. 

"Ah!  there  it  is — the  inveterate  conceit  of  you 
men.  You  want  to  hear  from  my  own  lips  that  I  give 
up  everything  for  you.  Well,  then,  if  it  will  please 
you — I  do  give  up  everything." 

'  Don't  put  it  like  that,"  he  entreated  joyously. 
"  Say  you  are  transferring  it." 

"  Look  what  a  lot  of  appreciating  you  will  have  to 
do  to  make  up  for  the  world,"  she  smiled,  not  perhaps 
without  a  tinge  of  regret. 

"  I  am  not  afraid  of  the  magnitude  of  the  task,  dear. 
Tear  up  that,"  he  said,  pointing  to  the  contract  with 
sudden   resentment. 

"  Oh,  no,  let  me  keep  it,  as  a  memento." 
Your  wishes  are  mine,"  he  replied  with  gallant 
tenderness. 

'  Phil,  I  am  only  beginning  to  feel  how  glad  I  am 
about  your  going  into  Parliament.  It  seems  such  a 
big  thing — big  enough  to  accommodate  your  and  my 
ambitions  comfortably.  I  don't  think  the  Scheme 
would  have  done  that,  however  sanguine  you  may 
have  been  of  persuading  me  to  the  contrary.  I  have 
a  sort  of  instinctive  grudge  against  it,  perhaps  be- 
cause, when  I  first  heard  of  it,  the  thought  upper- 
most in  my  mind  was  that  it  would  take  you  further 
and  further  away  from  me.  And  you  are  going  to  do 
well,  very  well,  are  you  not?  " 

"  How  could  I  help  it,  with  you  at  my  side?  ' 

"  And  another  thing,  Phil,  dear.  You  owe  me 
some  reparation  for  your — your  aggravating  con- 
duct." 

"  Effie,  anything  you  ask,"  he  broke  in  eagerly. 


4o6  SONS  OF  THE.  COVENANT 

"  Ah!  you  think  I  am  going  to  impose  on  you  some 
heroic  penance,  do  you?'  she  laughed.  "Don't 
flatter  yourself — I  am  not  going  to  honor  you  so  sig- 
nally. It  only  means  gratifying  a  foolish  whim  of 
mine.     Don't  give  away  our  secret  for — say,  a  week." 

"  And  what  about  you?" 

"  I  can  tell  whomever  I  like.  That  will,  in  a  way, 
be  giving  me  the  start  of  you." 

"  It  isn't  so  easy  a  penance  as  you  think,"  he  said 
half  ruefully. 

"  I  see,"  she  laughed  delightedly,  "  because  it 
touches  your  vanity.  You  want  to  start  bragging 
about  your  conquest." 

Half  an  hour  passed. 

"  Well,  is  this  as  good  as  the  cliff  by  moonlight?  ' 
whispered  Phil. 

"  Better.  There  is  no  chance  of  your  jumping 
over." 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

The  comparative  solitude  with  which  Leuw  hedged 
himself  that  day  did  nothing  to  wear  the  edge  off  the 
disappointment  the  morning  had  brought  him.  And 
so  he  looked  forward  with  greater  satisfaction  to 
spending  the  evening  at  Mrs.  Duveen's,  hoping  that 
the  congenial  atmosphere  of  the  house  would  be  more 
effective  in  making  him  once  more  master  over  him- 
self. Moreover,  he  was  dogged  by  an  irresistible  cu- 
riosity to  ascertain  how  Dulcie  regarded  the  new  de- 
velopment of  things.  He  took  care  to  indulge  in  no 
extravagant  hopes;  Phil's  defection  had  prepared  him 
for  anything.  He  tutored  himself  into  equanimity  at 
hearing  her  join  in  the  chorus  of  gratification  as  loudly 
as  the  rest.  Perhaps  he  ought  to  feel  grateful  for  the 
timely  reminder  that  the  dwellers  of  this  earth  were  not 
yet  qualified  to  change  places  with  the  angels;  also  that 
illusions  which  one  hugs  to  oneself  very  tightly  are 
liable  to  get  crushed  out  of  shape.  But  his  heart  re- 
belled nevertheless. 

He  left  the  office  at  six,  and,  not  being  due  at  St. 
John's  Wood  till  half  past  eight — he  generally  prefer- 
red to  get  there  after  dinner — he  had  ample  time  for 
calling  back  at  home  in  order  to  press  Mrs.  Lipcott  to 
accompany  him;  she  had  not  been  quite  sure  in  the 
morning  whether  she  would  care  to.  As  he  got  near 
the  turning  off  the  Mile  End  Road,  he  stopped  and 
faced  round  in  response  to  a  detaining  hand  he  sud- 
denly felt  upon  his  shoulder. 


4o8  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  Excuse  me,  sir,  aren't  you  Leuw  Lipcott?" 

Leuw  looked  hard  at  the  enquirer,  a  sallow,  narrow- 
chested  young  man,  dressed  in  rather  nondescript  fash- 
ion, but  with  an  unmistakable  attempt  at  keeping  up 
appearances. 

"  Yellow  Joe,  isn't  it?"  asked  Leuw  in  turn. 

"And  no  mistake  about  the  yellow,  eh?"  was  the 
reply,  accompanied  by  a  thin,  hollow  laugh. 

"  I  am  sorry  you  met  me,"  said  Leuw  seriously. 

"  Are  you?  Well,  we  can  soon  put  that  right  again. 
Good  evening." 

"  Here,  don't  be  a  fool,"  cried  Leuw,  taking  a  step 
after  him  and  catching  him  by  the  arm.  Joe  stopped 
obediently. 

"  I  mean,  because  by  meeting  me  you  have  cut  the 
ground  from  under  my  feet,"  continued  Leuw.  "  I 
had  made  up  my  mind  to  hunt  you  up  one  day  this 
week.     I  couldn't  before;  I  was  too  busy." 

"  Then  you  Jiadn't  forgotten  me?  " 

"  You'll  have  to  be  satisfied  with  my  word  for  it 
now.  Good  God,  man  alive,  what  has  become  of  your 
shoulders?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  but  the  man  I  work  for  measures 
fifty-five  round  the  waist,"  replied  Joe  with  apparent 
unconcern. 

"  Tell  me  all  about  yourself." 

"  You'll  only  waste  your  time  by  listening.  Have 
another  look  at  me  instead." 

"  No,  no,  you  won't  get  out  of  it  that  way." 

"  Since  you  are  so  pressing,"  said  Joe  with  mock  po- 
liteness, "  by  the  way,  I  don't  like  pressing.  That's 
what  did  for  me.  You  know  which  I  mean — across 
the  damp  cloth,  one  iron  on,  the  other  off,  sixteen 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  409 

hours  a  day.  And  one  fine  morning  I  feel  there's  a 
hitch  in  my  inside  machinery,  which  meant  I  was 
going  the  same  way  father  had  gone — a  very  bad  way, 
if  you  remember.  So  I  thought  I'd  get  out  of  that 
workshop  before  they  came  with  the  stretcher." 

'  Which  was  very  wise  of  you,"  remarked  Leuw, 
rather  superfluously. 

!<  I  couldn't  afford  to  be  foolish ;  there  were  eight  of 
them  at  home  to  pay  for  it,  if  I  were.  Hospital's  a 
cheaper  place  to  go  to  than  heaven.  When  I  got  out 
again,  I  took  a  leaf  out  of  your  book,  and  with  what  I 
scraped,  borrowed,  and  begged,  went  into  shop-keep- 
ing." 

"And?"  prompted  Leuw. 

'  Got  out  of  it  nearly  as  quick.  Everybody  can't  be 
as  lucky — I  beg  pardon,  I  meant  to  say,  as  clever — as 
Leuw  Lipcott.     Good  job,  too." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that,  Joe?  " 

"  I  mean  that  some  of  us,  that  is  to  say,  some  of  our 
people,  have  got  to  be  failures.  The  world's  jealous 
enough  of  us  as  it  is.  If  we  were  all  successful,  or  at 
least  more  of  us  than  are,  it  might,  one  of  these  days, 
put  us  into  a  sack  and  drown  us  in  the  Red  Sea." 

"  And  so  you  were  content  to  sacrifice  yourself  for 
the  good  of  the  rest,"  said  Leuw — he  did  not  know 
himself  whether  in  jest  or  earnest.  A  great  truth 
seemed  latent  somewhere  in  Joe's  theory. 

"  Sacrifice  is  too  big  a  word  to  use  with  a  small  man 
like  me,"  replied  the  latter,  "  but  it  was  a  very  good 
idea  to  have  about  me  when  the  blue  devils  came  on." 

"  It  ought  to  be  patented,  I  think,"  said  Leuw. 
"  What  are  you  doing  now?  " 

•"  Getting  quizzed,  it  looks  like." 


4I0  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  No." 

The  monosyllable,  masterful  in  its  brevity,  cowed 
and  convinced  Joe. 

"  That  was  six  years  ago,"  he  resumed.  "  Then  I 
tried  you  again." 

"  Tried  me  again?  " 

"  Your  advice,  that  is.  '  Keep  up  your  handwriting 
and  figures,  Joe,'  do  you  remember  that?  Well,  I  re- 
membered. You  wouldn't  say  a  thing  if  there  was 
nothing  in  it.  There  was.  A  capmaker,  in  a  fair  way 
of  business,  wanted  somebody  to  keep  his  books.  He's 
a  very  good-natured  man — he  has  to  be  because  of  his 
fifty-five  inches  round  the  waist — but  he  knows  I  am 
not  keen  on  putting  my  services  up  for  auction.  He 
doesn't  say  he  knows,  but  he  conveys  it  to  me  gently 
in  the  salary  he  pays  me.  He's  so  very  considerate; 
the  reproachful  way  he  shakes  his  head  each  time  I  ask 
him  for  a  rise  is  simply  heart-breaking.  But  I  don't 
mind.  The  youngsters  have  nearly  all  learnt  to  shift 
for  themselves,  and  fifteen  shillings  a  week  will  be 
enough  for  what's  left  of  me.". 

"  I'll  tell  you  something,  Joe.  You've  paid  me  the 
compliment  of  taking  my  advice,  and  you  haven't  done 
very  well  with  it." 

"  I'd  have  done  much  worse  without  it,"  interrupted 
Joe. 

"  That  isn't  the  point.  If  I  don't  want  to  look  a 
fool,  I've  got  to  see  that  you  do  better.  There's  a 
desk  waiting  for  you  at  my  office.  Give  that  old  pot- 
belly of  yours  notice." 

"  I  needn't.  He  never  would  give  me  an  agreement. 
I'll  be  at  your  place  nine  o'clock  to-morrow  morning." 

"  That's  business-like.     Here's  the  address." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  41 1 

Joe  took  the  card  and  looked  at  it.  "  So  you  are  in 
the  City?"  he  asked  with  curious  eagerness. 

Leuw  nodded. 

1  Then  I  suppose  I  had  better  come  in  a  top  hat?  " 

'It's  just  as  well  you  did.     Any  objection?'' 

"  Objection?'  answered  Joe  his  face  lighting  up. 
*  Why,  it  always  was  the  dream  of  my  life  to  walk 
about  the  streets  in  a  chimney-pot." 

'  Well  then,  wait  till  the  summer  comes,"  laughed 
Leuw. 

"  That's  all  right — I'm  used  to  doing  things  in  the 
sweat  of  my  brow,"  said  Joe  dryly.  "  To-morrow  at 
nine,  then,  and  in  a  top  hat." 

He  was  making  off,  when  a  sudden  thought  stopped 
him. 

"  I'll  thank  you  for  this  when  I've  got  my  wits  back 
a  bit,  and  can  do  it  decently,"  he  said  under  his  breath. 
And  then  his  feelings  evidently  got  the  better  of  him, 
for,  with  a  preliminary  jump,  he  doubled  off  as  fast  as 
his  legs  could  carry  him. 

Leuw  gazed  after  him  with  a  quiet  smile  on  his  lips. 
Then  he  pursued  his  course  more  briskly,  not  so  much 
to  make  up  for  lost  time,  but  because  he  had  gathered 
new  motive  power.  It  was  the  knowledge  that  the 
day,  after  all,  had  not  passed  by  entirely  futile  and 
profitless. 

He  found  his  mother  awaiting  him  impatiently. 

"  I  don't  understand  it  at  all — I  mean  about  Phil," 
were  her  first  words  to  him. 

"  Ah,  then  you  know." 

"  He  dashed  up  this  morning  in  a  cab  and  told 
me.  .  .  ." 


4I2  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  So  he  was  at  least  decent  enough  for  that,"  mut- 
tered Leuw. 

"What's  that  you  are  saying?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  it's  quite  true.  He's  going  in  for  Parlia- 
ment." 

"  What,  the  real  Parliament,  where  they  govern  the 
country?  " 

"  Yes,  mother.     But  I've  got  news  for  you,  too." 

"  Have  you?'  There  was  more  fear  than  curiosity 
in  the  enquiry. 

"  We  must  pack  up  here  and  quit." 

"But  why?" 

'  We've  got  to  get  into  a  bigger  house  and  a  more 
fashionable  neighborhood." 

"  But  you  said  all  along  that  you  wouldn't.  We 
weren't  going  to  make  any  show,  and  just  keep  on 
living  quietly  down  here  as  if — as  if  nothing  had  hap- 
pened. And  besides  you  wanted  to  remain  on  the 
spot,  so  that  you  could  look  better  after  the  Scheme 
when  it  was  started " 

"  Quite  right,  mother,  I  did  say  so.  But  Phil  has 
changed  all  that.  You  see,  now  that  we  are  going  to 
have  an  M.  P.  in  the  family,  we  are  compelled  to  put 
on  a  little  more  style,  if  only  to  keep  up  the  dignity  of 
the  country.  Don't  look  so  frightened,  mother.  You 
will  soon  get  used  to  the  footman." 

"Footman?     What  are  you  thinking  of,  Leuw?': 

"  Well,  we  will  do  without  one,"  smiled  Leuw. 
"  But  I  can't  let  you  off  the  big  house." 

"  Leuw,  Leuw — if  only  your  father  were  alive  to 
help  me  carry  all  this  greatness,"  cried  Mrs.  Lipcott. 
You  don't  know  how  it  frightens  me.  I  am  begin- 
ning to  distrust  the  future." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  413 

'  Distrust  the  future  by  all  means ;  everybody  should. 
Trust  me  instead,  mother,"  said  Leuw,  his  hand  on  her 
shoulder. 

"  Can  I?  ':  She  looked  up  at  him  wistfully:  "  You 
know,  Leuw,  my  greatest  fear  I  haven't  yet  told  you 
of.     I  scarcely  dare  to." 

"  Is  it  so  terrible  as  all  that?  " 

:  Yes,  because  it  refers  to  something  I  desire  with  all 
my  heart,  and  still  can't  think  of  without  quaking  in- 
wardly. Leuw,  one  of  these  days  you  will — I  hope 
you  will — be  giving  me  a  daughter.  I  dare  say  she 
will  be  a  woman  who  is  born  to  the  life  which  I  shall 
be  struggling  to  master  as  a  child  struggles  with  its 
lessons.  And  she  may  not  understand  me  and  my 
ways.     What  then,  Leuw?" 

"  Then  I  shall  be  there  to  explain  you  to  her.  But 
it  won't  be  necessary.  I  would  make  sure  that  the 
daughter  I  gave  you  would  be  content  to  take  you  as 
you  were,  and  measure  you  by  your  own  standard." 

k  I  know  one  who  would  do  that.  If  I  could  have 
my  choice,  Leuw.  .  .  ." 

"  Yes?  "  asked  Leuw  quickly. 

"  I  was  hoping  I  would  have  no  need  to  tell  you  her 
name — that  you  would  know  yourself." 

"  What  I  do  know  is,  that  at  present  I  haven't  the 
time  for  guessing  it,"  saici  Leuw,  looking  hastily  at 
his  watch.  The  subterfuge  would  not  have  deceived  a 
babe  in  arms,  but  Mrs.  Lipcott  let  it  pass  unchal- 
lenged. "  If  you  are  coming,  mother,  you  must  get 
ready  at  once,"  continued  Leuw. 

"  No,  thank  you,  Leuw.  I  would  rather  stop  in — 
especially  after  what  you  have  told  me.  I  want  to  see 
as  much   of  this  house   as  I   can,  while   I   have  the 


414 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


chance.     I  passed  many  a  sad  and  anxious  hour  in  it, 
and  that's  why  it  has  grown  so  dear  to  me." 

When  Leuw  arrived  at  St.  John's  Wood,  he  found 
himself  balked  in  his  expectations  of  spending  a  quiet 
evening.  Mrs.  Duveen  had  made  no  secret  of  the  dis- 
tinction offered  to  Phil,  and  the  result  was  an  im- 
promptu gathering  of  the  more  intimate  friends  of  the 
house  eager  to  tender  their  congratulations.  Leuw 
noticed,  somewhat  to  his  surprise,  that  Phil  still  main- 
tained the  exultant  mood  of  the  morning;  the  lapse  of 
the  day  should  have  been  sufficient  to  bring  him  back 
to  a  more  neutral  condition  of  mind.  And  then  again 
Leuw  reflected  that  it  was  as  unfair  to  blame  Phil  for 
not  having  become  sobered,  as  it  would  be  to  blame 
himself  for  having  been  unable  to  drag  himself  out  of 
the  slough  of  his  despondency.  What  he  regretted 
was  that  his  errand  here  would  be  fruitless;  there 
seemed  little  chance  of  taking  away  with  him  the  so- 
lace he  so  urgently  needed.  As  Phil's  brother,  or  it 
might  have  been  on  his  own  merits,  he  came  in  for  a 
good  deal  of  attention;  he  succeeded  in  keeping  up  an 
equable  demeanor,  but  the  strain  tried  him  cruelly. 
He  would  have  taken  his  leave  after  the  first  half-hour; 
but  he  could  not  tear  himself  away  without  a  word  or 
two  to  Dulcie.  He  had  an  idea  that  she  reciprocated 
his  wish ;  at  least,  he  caught  various  glances  of  hers  in 
his  direction  which  might  be  construed  so.  A  garrulous 
old  lady  had  taken  possession  of  her,  and  was  pound- 
ing away  at  her  mercilessly.  Even  from  where  he 
stood,  Leuw  could  notice  that  Dulcie's  attention  was 
only  perfunctory;  occasionally  she  looked  distinctly 
distressed;  no  doubt,  garrulous  old  ladies  were  very 
trying.  More  for  Dulcie's  sake  than  his  own,  he 
wished  this  particular  one — to  bed. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  415 

But  he  waited  on.  His  impression  seemed  to  have 
been  correct.  The  moment  her  tormentor  rose  to  go, 
Dulcie  came  straight  up  to  him. 

"  I  haven't  had  a  chance  of  congratulating  you,"  she 
said. 

'  Oh,  about  Phil?  Thank  you.  But  you  are  equally 
entitled  to  congratulations." 

'  So  others  have  thought.     I  accept  them." 

She  looked  about  her  sharply.  They  were  fairly  out 
of  everybody's  hearing.  A  sudden  change  came  over 
her  face. 

"  No,  I  won't  accept  them  from  you,"  she  broke  out 
with  bated  vehemence.  "  I  have  had  enough  of  pre- 
tending to  the  others — mother  and  all.  But  I  must 
speak  out  to  somebody.  I  don't  think  it  is  anything 
to  feel  glad  about.  He  ought  not  to  have  taken  the 
invitation.  He  ought  to  have  waited — waited  till  he 
had  made  proper  headway  with  what  had  a  previous 
claim  on  him.  Oh,  he  has  disappointed  me  terribly, 
first  on  account  of  the  Scheme,  and  secondly  on  ac- 
count of  himself — at  least,  I  hardly  know  which  to  put 
first  and  which  second.  I  never  thought  Phil  could 
do  anything  which  he  would  have  to  live  down  in  my 
estimate  of  him.  And  now  I  have  come  out  with  it  all 
you  can  scold  me  as  much  as  you  like.  But  I  suppose 
you  are  so  proud  of  him  that  nothing  I  could  think  or 
say  would  make  a  pin's  head  of  difference." 

"  Miss  Duveen,"  said  Leuw  softly,  "  your  need  of  a 
confidant  must  have  been  very  great  indeed,  when  you 
come  to  me,  of  all  people.  Wasn't  I  least  likely  to 
give  your  complaint  a  patient  hearing?" 

"If  I  have  hurt  you — I  retract — I  retract  every 
word.     Oh,  I  am  so  very  sorry.  ..." 


416  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

:'  And  I  am  very  glad,"  he  interrupted  quickly,  "  for 
now  I  need  not  scruple  to  ask  you  for  a  return  service. 
I,  too,  have  confidences  to  make." 

"About  what?" 

"  About  the  same  subject  as  yours.  I  deserve  con- 
gratulations on  Phil's  account  as  little  as  you  have  just 
told  me  you  do." 

"Then  you,  too,  think  he  has  done  wrong? ':  she 
asked. 

"  That  is  where  I  must  differ  from  you.  He  has  not 
done  wrong;  he  has  simply  done  otherwise  than  I  ex- 
pected him  to." 

"  Of  course,  you  must  defend  him ;  he  is  your  broth- 
er," she  said  bitterly. 

"  He  has  certain  claims  on  your  indulgence,  too," 
Leuw  reminded  her.  "  No,  Miss  Duveen,  I  should 
make  the  same  allowances  for  anybody  else's  brother. 
My  only  grievance  against  him  is  that  he  has  ignored 
what  after  all  is  only  a  personal  predilection  of  mine. 
I  revenge  myself  on  him  sufficiently  by  not  feeling 
unconditionally  glad  of  what  he  has  given  his  prefer- 
ence to." 

"  A  generous  revenge — but  oh,  it  is  such  a  pity — 
the  Scheme." 

"  Then  be  also  generous;  make  allowances  for.  .  .  ." 

*  Very  well,  I  do,"  she  said  quickly.  "  What  have  I 
to  take  umbrage  at?  He  hasn't  wronged  me.  I  beg 
his  pardon.     I  was  very  presumptuous." 

'  No,  don't  say  it  like  that.  Remember,  you  might 
have  hurt  me  by  talking  of  my  brother  as  having  to 
live  things  down." 

She  looked  at  him.  "  After  that  I  can  have  no  al- 
ternative," she  replied.     "  Mr.  Lipcott,  I  say  it  without 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  417 

afterthought:  Phil  of  to-day  is  to  me  the  Phil  of  yester- 
day. But  it  is  such  a  pity,  the  Scheme,"  came  her 
murmur,  like  a  refrain.      k  I  suppose  it  is  dead?" 

"  It  seems  so,"  answered  Leuw,  shaking  his  head. 
'  It  may  have  a  resurrection.     If  it  has  not,  it  will  at 
least  be  more  fortunate  than  a  great  many  men  and 
things.     It  will  leave  one  sincere  mourner." 

'  Two,"  she  corrected  him  reproachfully. 

'  Two — I  beg  your  pardon ;  but  you  know  the  self- 
ishness of  sorrow.  And  then,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  gave 
you  the  opening  purposely." 

"What  for?     To  test  me?" 

He  did  not  answer,  but  stood  smiling  at  her,  his 
heart  in  his  mouth. 

4  I  thought  I  had  given  you  enough  assurance  of  my 
sympathy  through  good  and  ill,"  was  her  reply. 

But  not  her  whole  reply,  nor  even  the  essential  part 
of  it.  That  was  contained  in  the  strange  glance  she 
flashed  at  him  from  eyes  that  immediately  became 
downcast  again.  The  sense  of  suddenness  and  bril- 
liance had  on  Leuw  all  the  effect  of  lightning.  It  had 
taken  him  so  unawares  that  the  very  next  instant  left 
him  in  doubt  whether  or  not  anything  unusual  had  oc- 
curred. And  so  he  stopped  dumb  and  strained,  wait- 
ing for  a  possible  repetition,  and  all  alert  to  seize  on  it 
with  the  full  force  of  his  perceptiveness.  But  chance 
was  against  him. 

'  I  really  can't  stop  a  moment  longer — you  know  I 
promised  mother  to  be  back  early,"  said  Effie,  break- 
ing in  on  them — so  it  appeared  to  Leuw — from  some- 
where out  of  space. 

"  I  shall  go  with  you  for  your  things,"  replied  Dul- 
cie  instantly.- 
27 


4i8  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

Leuw  somehow  did  not  regret  the  interruption  so 
very  keenly.  It  had  probably  saved  him  from  making 
himself  absurd  in  one  way  or  another. 

Dulcie  had  reached  her  room,  and,  looking  back, 
found  that  her  companion  had  only  got  half-way  up 
the  staircase — a  reversal  of  the  usual  order  of  things. 

"  What's  the  matter,  Eff?"  she  asked  as  soon  as  the 
other  was  level  with  her.  "  You  seem  to  have  been 
sleep-walking  all  the  evening." 

Effie  followed  her  in,  deliberately  closed  the  door, 
and  sat  down  on  the  couch. 

"  Lucky  for  your  visitors  I  did,"  replied  Effie  dis- 
passionately. "  If  I  had  not  bottled  myself  up  so 
safely — rammed  the  cork  in  as  tight  as  I  could,  I 
should  have  been  nothing  short  of  a  scandal." 

"What,  dumps  again?"  queried  Dulcie  solicitously. 

For  answer  Effie  threw  herself  back  and  began  to 
laugh — not  a  laugh  of  amusement,  ►but  a  series  of  omi- 
nous, hiccoughing  giggles.  Dulcie,  after  the  first 
shock,  recovered  her  presence  of  mind,  snatched  at  the 
smelling  salts,  and  applied  them. 

"  Eff,  dear,  you  mustn't  be  foolish,"  she  reproved, 
watching  anxiously  for  the  result. 

"  It  isn't  foolishness,"  said  Effie,  with  a  long  breath 
of  relief;  "it's  only  reaction." 

"  Reaction  after  what?  " 

"  After  the  bottling.  I  made  him  promise  not  to  tell 
any  one  for  a  week,  and  that  I  might  if  I  wanted  to, 
and  then  it  seemed  like  taking  an  unfair  advantage, 
and  so  I  was  going  to  keep  the  secret  with  him,  and  it 
nearly  killed  me.  You  see,  I  couldn't  even  tell  moth- 
er, because  when  she  has  one  of  her  nervous  headaches 
on  the  doctor  says  she  mustn't  be  excited.    But  some- 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  419 

body  had  to  know,  and  failing  mother  it  was,  of  course, 
you." 

"  Oh,  Eff,  I  do  hope  it's  Phil/' 

"You  goose,  who  else  do  you  think  it  could  be?" 

'  Oh,  you  dear.     Mind  you  scream,  if  I  hurt  you." 

The  embrace  was,  indeed,  a  frantic  one,  but  Effie 
stood  it  like  a  Spartan. 

'•  I  don't  see  why  you  should  think  I  have  done  such 
a  clever  thing,"  she  said,  as  she  finally  stepped  up  to 
the  looking-glass  to  attend  to  her  ruffled  curls.  "  When 
there's  only  one  man  in  the  world,  it  wants  very  little 
discrimination  to  pick  him  out." 

"  Only  one  man?  That's  a  very  poor  outlook  for  us 
that  are  left,"  laughed  Dulcie,  but  not  very  heartily. 

Effie  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  I  can't  help  that. 
One  has  to  be  selfish  occasionally,  just  to  remind  one- 
self of  one's  own  value." 

"  Still,  I  suppose  every  woman  thinks  she  is  selfish 
— in  your  way,  that  is — when  she  gains  her  '  only  one 
man,'  "  hazarded  Dulcie. 

"  They  can  console  themselves  with  that,  if  they 
like,"  said  Effie  magnanimously.  "  I'm  not  going  to 
trouble  about  other  women,  at  least  not  for  the  pres- 
ent." 

"Not  even  about  me?'  asked  Dulcie  rather  pite- 
ously. 

You?     You    aren't    a   woman;    you    are    only    a 
child." 

"  Effie,  I  also  thought  I  was;  I  hoped  so,  at  any  rate. 
But  I  have  rather  come  to  doubt  it  lately." 

Effie  scrutinized  her  keenly.  Then  she  asked. 
"What  makes  you  doubt  it?" 

"  Effie,"  said  Dulcie  timidly,  "  you  won't  mind  my 


420 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


asking  you  for  a   certain   piece   of   information,   will 
you?" 

"  Certainly  not;  but  I  warn  you  I  am  very  ignorant." 

"  No,  no,  you  must  know  all  about  it  there  is  to 
know.  How — how  did  you  find  out  you  were  getting 
fond  of  Phil?" 

"  Oh,  you  want  to  know  the  symptoms.  I  could 
have  told  you  them  off  pat  last  night,  but  I  have  been 
hard  at  work  all  day  to  forget  them.  You  see,  they  are 
rather  painful.  Still,  the  principal  one  was  a  violent 
sense  of  absent-bodiedness;  my  chief  thought  about 
everything  I  did  was  that  he  wasn't  there  to  see  me 
do  it.  I  was  getting  to  feel  so  incomplete  that  I  was 
afraid  to  be  alone  with  myself;  I  fancied  there  was  only 
half  of  me — what's  that  you  are  mumbling?'1 

'  It  fits,"  repeated  Dulcie  a  little  more  loudly.  '  The 
symptom,  I  mean,"  she  added. 

"  What,  you've  been  at  it  as  well — feeling  incom- 
plete? How  dared  you?"  exclaimed  Effie,  her  man- 
ner fierce  and  threatening,  but  her  grasp  of  Dulcie's 
hand  very  soothing  and  gentle.  And  then  a  light 
dawned  on  her.  "  It  isn't — yes,  it  is — it  must  be  that 
Leuw  boy.  Fancy,  child — you  and  I  sisters-in-law; 
won't  it  be  heavenly?" 

Dulcie  looked  at  her  aghast  and  agonized.  '  Effie, 
how  can  you  let  your  tongue  run  away  with  you  like 
that?     I  haven't  said  a  word.  .  .  ." 

'  Quite  right,  too — I  should  have  been  very  much 
shocked  if  you  had.  Remember  I  am  semi-qualified 
for  playing  propriety.  Has  he  said  anything, 
though?" 

"  No — yes — that  is,  I  believe  he  as  much  as  hinted." 

"  Did  he?     That's  good.     A  hint  from  him,  I  should 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  421 

say,  is  as  valid  as  a  written  declaration  from  most  other 
people.  I  never  came  across  a  man  who  reminded  me 
so  much  of  a  strong-box  with  an  intricate  combination 
lock." 

'  And  he  may  not  have  given  me  the  right  key," 
murmured  Dulcie.  "  Effie,  what  if  I  have  been  wrong 
after  all?" 

"  Yes,  there  is  that  danger,"  admitted  Effie.  "  It's 
a  very  humiliating  thing  to  say,  but  we'll  keep  it 
strictly  to  ourselves:  we  women  aren't  really  half  so 
clever  as  they  give  us  credit  for.  I  nearly  made  a  mis- 
take myself.  But  there,  I'm  a  nice  Job's  comforter, 
am  I  not?  " 

'  Less  of  a  comforter,  but  more  of  a  friend.  You 
might  have  buoyed  me  up  instead  of  warning  me. 
Your  own  happiness  did  not  make  you  lose  sight  of 
mine.     But  Eff—Eff— Effie.  ..." 

"  If  you  start  crying,  I  shall  simply  go  off  into  the 
most  terrific  fit  of  hysterics  you  ever  saw,"  threatened 
Effie. 

That  averted  a  catastrophe,  and  Dulcie's  handker- 
chief returned  to  its  pocket. 

"  You  mustn't  let  out  you  know  about  Phil  and  me 
— not  even  to  Phil  himself,"  enjoined  Effie,  putting 
on  her  gloves.  "  I  think  I  can  hold  out  for  the  week 
now  all  right." 

"  Wouldn't  it  be  better  if  you  annulled  the  condi- 
tion?" asked  Dulcie  uneasily. 

"  Perhaps  so;  I'm  sorry  myself  I  made  it.  But  you 
don't  want  me  to  make  Phil  think  he's  marrying  a 
weather-vane?  " 

"  No,"  said  Dulcie  dubiously. 


422 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT 


Phil  and  Leuw  were  waiting  in  the  hall  to  escort 
Effie  home. 

"  I  have  not  asked  you  how  you  got  on  to-day/' 
whispered  Mrs.  Duveen  to  Phil.  "  I  could  see  with- 
out." 

"Hush/'  Phil  smiled  back,  "I  mustn't  tell  yet;  but 
you  may  think  whatever  you  like." 

Leuw  could  not  help  overhearing  their  colloquy. 
Mysteries,  mysteries  everywhere;  the  world  was  full  of 
them.  But  his  own  was  the  greatest  of  all,  and  its 
name  was — Dulcie, 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

The  fire  crackled  merrily  in  the  grate,  and  Mrs. 
Diamond  busily  cracked  nuts  in  the  arm-chair.  Mr. 
Diamond  was  going  through  his  usual  Friday  evening 
task  of  reading  aloud  to  his  wife  the  contents  of  the 
"  Jewish'  Examiner  "  from  cover  to  cover,  down  to  the 
very  advertisements.  Mrs.  Diamond  believed  in  get- 
ting full  value  for  her  money.  Mr.  Diamond's  style  of 
reading  inclined  to  the  monotonous  rather  than  the  in- 
tensely dramatic — a  thing  not  to  be  wondered  at  in  a 
hard-worked  man,  on  whom,  for  the  time  being  at 
least,  the  sitting-room  couch  exercised  a  much  more 
powerful  fascination  than  the  most  epoch-making  of 
communal  events.  Even  his  wife's  rousing  capacity, 
which,  in  its  way,  was  not  inferior  to  that  of  a  fair- 
sized  Leyden-jar  battery,  had  occasionally  hard  work 
to  keep  him  from  dozing  off  in  the  middle  of  a  psycho- 
logical moment.  As  the  years  had  slipped  on,  Mr. 
Diamond  had  become  a  more  and  more  devout  be- 
liever in  the  '  peace-at-any-price ':  policy.  He  had 
found  it  necessary,  because  the  increasing  length  of 
his  union  with  Mrs.  Diamond  had  not  resulted  in  a 
corresponding  lengthening  of  her  temper.  But, 
though  apparently  he  had  made  concession  a  fine  art, 
any  one  catching  a.  glimpse  of  his  soul,  would  have 
shrunk  back  affrighted  at  the  depth  to  which  the  de- 
ceptiveness  of  appearances  could  sink.  For  there,  at 
the  bottom  of  that  same  soul,  Mr.  Diamond's,  to  wit, 
an  undreamt  of  desire  had  taken  root,  germinated,  and 


424 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT 


grown  to  ripeness — the  desire  to  have  things  all  his 
own  way  at  least  once  during  his  married  life.  He  felt 
that  this  was  due,  if  not  to  himself,  at  least  to  the  other 
members  of  his  sex,  whose  claim  to  the  lordship  of 
creation  he  had  done  more  than  any  other  man  living 
to  undermine.  Of  course,  he  knew  that,  should  the 
worst  come  to  the  worst,  he  would,  in  a  way,  retrieve 
himself  at  the  ultimate  moment  of  his  earthly  exist- 
ence, when  he  would  follow  the  call  of  the  Destroying 
Angel  instead  of  listening  to  the  earnest  importunities 
of  Mrs.  Diamond  to  keep  where  he  was  and  continue 
to  draw  his  salary.  But  the  thought  offered  him  only 
a  hollow  consolation.  He  preferred  an  earlier  occa- 
sion, so  that  he  might  have  time  to  analyze  his  emo- 
tions after  the  event. 

The  columns  of  the  "  Examiner "  were  more  than 
usually  crowded  that  week.  Mr.  Diamond  had  just 
yawned  and  nodded  his  way  through  the  '  Corre- 
spondence/' and  had  arrived  at  the  "  Items  of  the 
Week."  The  change  of  ground  seemed  to  give  him 
an  impetus,  for  he  proceeded  more  briskly: 

"  We  are  authorized  to  state  that  Mr.  Philip  Lipcott- 
Duveen  will  contest  the  constituency  of  St.  James'-in- 
the-East  in  the  Radical  interest  at  the  ensuing  Gen- 
eral Election  in  place  of  Sir  Saul  Simmondson,  who 
has  definitely  determined  to  retire  from  parliamentary 
life.  We  give  a  portrait  and  biographical  sketch  of 
Mr.  Lipcott-Duveen  in  another  column. 

The  headmastership  of  the  Tenter  Street  Infant 
Schools,  vacant  through  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Lions 
to.  .  .  .  " 

A  shadow  fell  across  the  page,  and,  looking  up,  Mr. 
Diamond  saw  his  wife  lowering  down  on  him,  and 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  425 

evidently  making  frantic  attempts  at  catching  her 
breath. 

"  Why,  what's  the  matter,  Becky,  my  dear,  you 
aren't  ill?"  he  asked,  jumping  up  apprehensively. 

"  What's  that  you  are  jabbering  about  headmasters 
and  infants  and  lions?"  she  jerked  out. 

Mr.  Diamond  gave  a  hurried  glance  at  the  paper, 
and  then  lifted  his  face  to  hers  in  mild  reproach. 

"But  it  says  so  here,  Becky;  I  can't  read  you  but 
what  it  says." 

"  And  doesn't  it  say  just  before  that  little  Philly 
Lipcott  that  I  used  to  send  errands  is  going  to  be  a 
Member  of  Parliament,  and  you  slur  it  over  without 
even  stopping  to  make  a  casual  remark  about  it?  Who 
are  you  that  you  shouldn't  be  surprised  at  errand- 
boys  becoming  Members  of  Parliament?  '! 

"  Does  it  really  say  he  is  going  to?  "  asked  Mr.  Dia- 
mond in  a  small  voice,  diving  back  into  the  paper 
greatly  abashed;  for,  as  may  be  surmised,  he  had  been 
reading  with  his  eyes  and  not  with  his  brain. 

But  Mrs.  Diamond's  patience  had  failed  her,  and 
snatching  the  journal  from  his  hands,  she  intimated 
she  would  rather  spell  herself  blind  than  rely  any 
further  on  such  a  monster  of  untrustworthiness.  Mr. 
Diamond  accepted  the  rebuke  in  a  proper  spirit  of 
dejection  as  indicated  by  a  hanging  head  and  down- 
cast eyes. 

It  took  Mrs.  Diamond  quite  ten  minutes  before  she 
had  worked  her  way  through  the  short  paragraph. 
Then  gazing  into  the  grate,  she  said: 

"  I'm  still  in  two  minds  about  it,  Diamond — but  I 
rather  think  I'm  a  bit  annoyed  with  Mrs.  Duveen. 
After  all  the  friendliness  I  have  shown  her,  fancy  her 


426  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

not  dropping  me  a  line  on  the  private,  and  letting  me 
find  it  out  through  the  paper,  just  as  if  I  was  the  ordi- 
nary sort  of  people.  Well,  I'm  not  the  one  to  bear 
malice,  and  by  way  of  telling  her  so,  Diamond,  you'll 
drop  her  a  note  as  soon  as  the  Sabbath  is  over,  saying 
that  you  will  do  her  the  favor  of  going  on  the  Election 
Committee  for  Phil,  and  that  you  stand  good  for  a 
hundred  votes  .  .  .  bless  my  heart  and  liver,  the  man's 
asleep ! '  she  wound  up  as  a  sad,  long-drawn  snore 
from  Mr.  Diamond  revealed  to  her  the  real  intent  of 
his  contrite  attitude.  She  tip-toed  over  to  his  chair, 
and  shook  him,  though  by  no  means  roughly,  by  the 
shoulder. 

"  Help — help — he'll  gore  me,"  shrieked  Mr.  Dia- 
mond, who  must  have  been  dwelling  in  dreams  on 
some  episode  of  the  abattoir. 

His  wife  assured  him  that  she  was  no  runaway 
buffalo,  and  that  he  need  not  regard  his  little  fright  as 
too  severe  a  punishment  for  putting  her  to  the  trouble 
of  saying  her  say  all  over  again. 

'But  where  am  I  to  get  a  hundred  votes  from?': 
enquired  Mr.  Diamond  dolefully  when  he  had  heard 
her. 

"  Well,  you've  got  one,  and  that  leaves  only  another 
ninety-nine  to  be  got  besides — doesn't  it?  "  replied  Mrs. 
Diamond  cheerfully. 

The  arithmetic  of  the  thing  was  certainly  correct, 
thought  Mr.  Diamond.  But  at  the  same  time  there 
rose  to  his  agonized  imagination  the  vision  of  himself, 
fifteen  stone  in  his  alpaca  coat,  toiling  up  unending 
staircases,  with  the  heat  of  a  London  dog-day  hum- 
ming about  his  ears — only  to  be  told  that  he  "  had  bet- 
ter come  again  when  the  old  man  would  be  at  home." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  427 

Mr.  Diamond  did  not  know  who  had  invented  elec- 
tions; but  had  it  been  his  own  father,  Mr.  Diamond 
could  not  have  refrained  from  the  most  unsparing  cen- 
sure of  such  misguided  ingenuity.  Being  subject  to 
all  the  more  common  impulses,  Mr.  Diamond  did  not 
take  his  misfortunes  without  a  murmur.  But,  though 
in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  he  could  put  his  finger  on  their 
source  by  merely  stretching  out  his  arm,  he  preferred 
to  trace  them  back  to  their  most  remote  and  aborigi- 
nal cause.     It  was  safer. 

Mrs.  Diamond  had  meanwhile  been  making  a  criti- 
cal study  of  Phil's  portrait,  and  was  just  handing  the 
paper  back  to  her  husband  with  the  command  to  read 
the  biographical  sketch,  when  a  loud  rat-'tat  proceeded 
from  the  street  door.  The  matter  was  unusual,  be- 
cause as  a  rule  they  had  no  visitors  on  Friday  nights. 

The  little  maid-of-all-work  had  hurried  down  to 
open,  while  Mrs.  Diamond  stood  listening  on  the  land- 
ing.    A  sudden  hope  had  come  fluttering  about  her 

heart.     Perhaps  Mrs.  Duveen The  next  instant 

she  bounced  back  into  the  room,  with  a  snort  of  dis- 
gust. 

"  Only  Julie  Preager  and  Sadie  Tannenbaum,"  she 
snapped. 

She  was  still  clutching  the  "  Examiner,"  but  as 
though  to  work  off  her  disappointment  somewhat,  she 
viciously  thrust  it  back  into  the  inner  pocket  of  Mr. 
Diamond's  overcoat,  which  happened  to  be  hanging 
on  a  nail  near  by. 

The  two  visitors  rushed  in  apparently  laboring  under 
strong  excitement. 

"  Is  it  true.  .  .  ."  began  Mrs.  Tannenbaum. 

"  That  Dinah  Lipcott's  second.  .  .  ."  Mrs.  Preager 
snatched  up  the  question. 


428  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

'Is  going  to  be  made  an  M.  P.?"  screamed  Mrs. 
Tannenbaum,  determined  that  the  lion's  share  of  the 
query  should  be  hers. 

Mrs.  Diamond  regarded  the  two  with  a  look  of  inef- 
fable caution. 

"  Who  told  you?  "  she  asked  finally. 

"  Why,  everybody  is  talking  about  it,"  replied  Mrs. 
Preager. 

"  So  I  says  to  Julie,  '  Let's  go  and  ask  Becky — she'll 
know,  if  anybody,'  "  added  Mrs.  Tannenbaum  with 
happy  resourcefulness.  She  knew  from  bitter  experi- 
ence how  to  handle  Mrs.  Diamond. 

The  latter,  however,  seemed  totally  unimpressed  by 
the  broad  tribute  to  her  omniscience.  She  was  shak- 
ing her  head  in  wonder.  "  Strange  how  these  things 
leak  out,"  she  said  at  last.  "  Well,  since  you  know  so 
much,  my  dears,  I  may  as  well  tell  you  that  it's  quite 
true.  I  heard  about  it  more  than  a  month  ago,  only 
I  had  to  give  my  word  that  I  wouldn't  breathe  a  syl- 
lable to  anybody.  By  the  way,  Rose — that  is,  of 
course,  Mrs.  Duveen,  God  bless  her — told  me  there 
would  be  a  portrait  and  a  biographical  sketch  of  Phil 
in  this  week's  '  Examiner ' — I  wonder  if  Diamond 
....  dear  me,  I  never  saw  such  a  glutton  for  sleep; 
there  he's  off  again:  I  wonder,  I  was  going  to  say, 
whether  he  brought  the  paper — oh,  I  can't  bother  to 
look,  and  it  would  be  a  shame  to  wake  him." 

'What's  a  geographical  sketch,  Becky?"  enquired 
Mrs.  Tannenbaum. 

'  His  history,  of  course,"  Mrs.  Preager  took  upon 
herself  to  reply. 

'History,  indeed,"  sniffed  Mrs.  Tannenbaum;  "fat 
lot  of  history  he's  got  to  go  to  bed  with.     He  may  be 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  429 

able  to  kid  other  people,  but  we  know  that  he  wasn't 
rocked  in  a  golden  cradle,  don't  we?': 

"I  should  think  I  did,"  asserted  Mrs.  Diamond, 
speaking  strictly  on  her  own  behalf;  "  I  don't  know  if 
I  ever  told  you  how " 

"  How  you  wrote  the  letter  to  the  Board  of  Guar- 
dians," exclaimed  both  Mrs.  Preager  and  Mrs.  Tan- 
nenbaum  in  a  breath,  horrified  at  the  prospect  of  hav- 
ing the  story  once  more  inflicted  upon  their  nauseated 
ears. 

"  Well,  then,  don't  ask  me  if  I  know  anything  about 
Philly  Lipcott,"  said  Mrs.  Diamond  complacently. 

"  I  can  only  say  I  pity  Dinah  if  she  puts  on  any  airs 
when  I  meet  her,"  remarked  Mrs.  Preager  acidly.  "  I 
never  like  to  brag,  but  I  should  have  to  remind  her 
that  a  second  cousin  of  mine  once  nearly  got  on  to 
the  vestry." 

:i  And  it  wouldn't  take  me  long  to  tell  her  that  my 
son-in-law,  Izzy,  only  last  week  made  a  shooting-jack- 
et for  a  duke,"  threatened  Mrs.  Tannenbaum. 

Mrs.  Diamond  smiled  to  herself  disdainfully,  know- 
ing how  infinitely  her  own  claims  to  greatness  exceed- 
ed those  of  her  cronies.  Still,  a  sudden  access  of  mag- 
nanimity, which  she  herself  could  not  explain,  made 
her  deliberate  whether  or  not  she  should  "  put  them  to 
rights."  The  quick-witted  Mrs.  Tannenbaum,  how- 
ever, snatched  at  the  merciful  respite  to  change  the 
current  of  the  conversation. 

"  And  what's  Dinah's  eldest  been  doing  since  he's 
back?" 

"  Goodness  only  knows,"  replied  Mrs.  Diamond; 
"  he's  something  in  the  City,  Dinah  told  me." 

"  Perhaps  he  keeps  one  of  those  orange-and-apple 
stalls  near  the  Bank,"  hazarded  Mrs.  Preager. 


430  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  What  nonsense  you're  talking,"  remonstrated  Mrs. 
Diamond.  "  Don't  you  know  that  Dinah  buys  meat 
a  shilling  a  pound,  and  changes  her  curtains  once 
a  fortnight?  " 

But  Mrs.  Preager  was  unabashed.  "  Well,  I  dare 
say  he'll  be  found  out  one  of  these  days — like  the  rest 
of  'em,"  she  hinted  darkly. 

It  is  impossible  to  determine  into  how  many  shreds 
Leuw's  reputation  would  eventually  have  been  rent, 
had  it  not  been  for  another  and  rather  imperative 
knock  at  the  street  door.  Mrs.  Diamond  jumped  up 
eagerly;  perhaps  her  fanciful  anticipation  was  still  to 
come  true  to-night.  But,  though  she  soon  convinced 
herself  that  there  was  no  Mrs.  Duveen  demanding 
admittance  downstairs,  the  real  arrivals  were  in  their 
way  just  as  surprising. 

"  Well,  talk  of  the  devil,  my  dears,"  she  said  under 
her  breath,  as  she  hurried  back  into  the  room,  "  it's 
Dinah  and  her  eldest." 

"You  don't  think  he  overheard*  me?':  whispered 
Mrs.  Preager  flutteringly  to  Mrs.  Tannenbaum. 

"You  stupid  woman,  how  could  he?"  was  the  re- 
assuring reply. 

"  No,  I  don't  really  suppose  he  could.  But  you  re- 
member we  used  to  say  that  boy  had  eyes  to  see 
through  a  brick  wall  and  ears  to  hear  the  flies  slide 
across  the  ceiling." 

It  may  be  assumed  that  Mrs.  Diamond's  welcome 
was  nothing  less  than  overpowering.  Her  expression 
of  unbounded  delight  mingled  dexterously  with  pained 
but  tender  rebuke  to  Leuw  at  his  having  ignored  her 
— her  of  all  people — so  long. 

"  I  admit  it  was  very  wrong  of  me  not  to  have  called 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  431 

on  you  before,"  smiled  Leuw.  "  But  I'm  doing  so  as 
soon  as  I  can  possibly  manage — ah,  how  do  you  do, 
Mr.  Diamond?  I'm  sorry  to  have  disturbed  you. 
Why,  you  must  have  drunk  of  the  elixir  of  youth." 

"  Excuse  me,  I  wasn't  ..."  began  Mr.  Diamond, 
blinking  at  him  indignantly.  "  Oh,  I  understand  what 
you  mean — why,  to  be  sure,  aren't  you  my  dear  young 
friend,  Leuw  Lipcott?" 

The  ludicrous  change  in  his  manner  made  everybody 
laugh,  and  relieved  the  situation  of  a  not  unnatural 
stiffness.  Only  once,  near  the  beginning,  Mrs.  Tan- 
nenbaum  could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  reminding 
Mrs.  Lipcott  of  her  antecedents.  However,  she  took 
good  care  to  assure  herself  first  that  Leuw  was  closely 
absorbed  in  a  conversation  with  Mr.  Diamond. 

"  Talking  of  charwomen,  Dinah,  I  must  say  I  have 
never  since  come  across  such  a  worker  as  you  used  to 
be.  I'll  never  forget  the  way  you  shined  my  parlor 
fender  the  day  my  Cissie  got  engaged.  Do  you  hap- 
pen to  remember  what  kind  of  polish  you  used?'1 

"  Now,  how  do  you  expect  me  to  remember  that, 
Sadie?"  asked  Mrs.  Lipcott,  looking  at  her  frankly. 
"  Still,  if  you  want  a  tip  how  to  keep  your  home 
bright,  you  might  make  a  note  that  clean  hands  and  a 
good  temper  will  do  that  better  than  any  sort  of  pol- 
ish." 

And  now  that  the  ground  had  been  finally  cleared, 
the  talk  spun  on  merrily.  As  it  struck  ten  o'clock, 
Leuw  cast  an  enquiring  glance  at  his  mother,  which  the 
latter  answered  with  a  shoulder  shrug.  A  quarter  of 
an  hour  later  the  two  of  them  found  themselves  close 
to  one  another,  and  Leuw  took  the  occasion  to  whis- 
per something  into  her  ear. 


432 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


"  It's  no  use  waiting  any  longer;"  she  whispered 
back;  "they'll  stay  as  long  as  we  stay.  But  I  don't 
see  why  you  should  take  any  notice  of  them;  I'm  sure 
Mrs.  Diamond  won't  mind." 

Leuw  nodded  and  took  something  from  his  pocket. 

"  Mrs.  Diamond,"  he  said,  seizing  on  a  lull,  "  we  are 
all  friends  here,  so  I  needn't  be  shy  of  telling  you  the 
main  reason  of  my  visit  to-night.  It  was  to  bring 
you  a  little  present." 

He  held  out  to  her  a  small  square  casket,  which  Mrs. 
Diamond  took  with  the  hesitation  of  extreme  aston- 
ishment. 

"  A  present?     What  for?  " 

"  You  may  have  forgotten,  Mrs.  Diamond,  but  I 
haven't,"  answered  Leuw,  his  voice  clear  and  reson- 
ant. "  There  was  once  a  certain  poor  widow  and  two 
helpless  orphans  and  a  certain  kind  soul — but  what's 
the  use  of  my  going  on?  We  all  know  the  story. 
It's  only  a  little  thing,  Mrs.  Diamond,  and  it  took 
rather  a  long  time  in  coming.  Buf  I  hope  it  will  show 
you  I  have  not  forgotten." 

Mrs.  Diamond  stood  speechless  at  this  develop- 
ment of  things,  and  in  fumbling  with  the  casket  press- 
ed the  catch  which  held  the  lid.  A  fine  five-stoned 
brooch  sparkled  into  view. 

"  Oh !  "  came  simultaneously  from  Mrs.  Preager  and 
Mrs.  Tannenbaum. 

Mrs.  Diamond  still  said  nothing,  but  stood  looking 
at  her  husband.  The  latter  came  nearer,  and  exam- 
ined the  brooch  critically.  But  his  object  in  doing  so 
was  not  to  satisfy  himself  that  the  stones  were  genuine. 
It  was  only  to  gain  time.  If  this  silence  continued  but 
half  a  minute  longer,  the  great  opportunity  of  his  life 


The  great  opportunity  of  his  life. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  433 

would  ripen  into  consummation.  And  so  it  hap- 
pened. Mr.  Diamond  took  a  deep  breath;  he  felt  upon 
him  the  spirit  which  must  have  animated  the  prophets 
of  old,  so  that  they  went  forth  to  preach  to  the  mobs 
of  howling  heretics,  not  knowing  at  what  particular 
moment  they  would  be  torn  limb  from  limb.  The  low 
ceiling  had  arched  into  a  vast  concave  dome;  at  least 
so  Mr.  Diamond  judged  from  the  sound  of  his  words 
as  he  said: 

'  Mr.  Lipcott,  my  wife  is  very  much  obliged  to  you, 
but  she  will  not  accept  your  present." 

Leuw  hardly  grasped  the  momentousness  of  the 
crisis,  for  he  said  cheerfully: 

'  Oh,  if  she  doesn't  care  for  it,  she  can  change  it  for 
something  else." 

Mr.  Diamond's  face  was  very  white,  but  his  words 
came  out  red  hot. 

"  It  isn't  the  shape  that  my  wife  objects  to,  it's  the 
whole  idea  of  the  thing.  You  said  she  was  good  to 
widows  and  orphans.  That's  only  what  anybody 
whom  God  has  given  a  heart  even  the  size  of  an  olive 
would  do ;  and  it's  not  a  matter  that  can  be  paid  for  at 
all  on  earth.  I  hope  it's  registered  all  right  to  her 
credit  in  heaven,  and  she's  not  going  to  get  it  scratched 
off  for  the  sake  of  a  bit  of  glitter  to  tickle  her  eyesight 
with." 

:<  Spoken  like  a  man,  Mr.  Diamond,"  said  Leuw, 
his  hand  on  the  other's  shoulder;  "and  now  you'll 
let  your  wife  take  the  brooch." 

:'  Ask  her  yourself,"  replied  Mr.  Diamond,  his  heart 
in  his  mouth. 

"  It's  no  use,  Mr.  Lipcott.     You  must  take  my  hus- 
band's answer." 
28 


434  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

Mr.  Diamond  gave  a  jump.  It  was  years  since  she 
had  spoken  of  him  as  her  husband,  at  least  in  his  hear- 
ing. So  after  all  he  seemed  likely  to  redeem  his  man- 
hood before  he  died. 

Leuw  scratched  his  ear  in  perplexity,  half  touched, 
half  amused. 

"  Then  what's  to  become  of  this  unfortunate  orna- 
ment? "  he  asked. 

Both  Mrs.  Tannenbaum  and  Mrs.  Preager  crooked 
instinctive  fingers. 

"  Let  me  have  the  money  it  cost,  and  I'll  distribute 
it  for  the  Passover/'  advised  Mrs.  Diamond,  "  but  only 
on  condition  that  you  come  here  and  see  me  do  it." 

"  I'll  come,  if  only  for  the  pleasure  of  your  society," 
smiled  Leuw.  "  Mrs.  Diamond,  I  have  heard  you  say 
it  yourself,  but  that  does  not  detract  from  the  truth  of 
it:  there  are  not  too  many  like  you.  Mr.  Diamond, 
you  called  me  your  friend;  I  shall  try  to  deserve  that 
title.     Good  night." 

Leuw  and  Mrs.  Lipcott's  departure  was  followed  al- 
most immediately  by  that  of  Mrs.  Preager  and  Mrs. 
Tannenbaum.  The  room  was  not  large  enough  to 
hold  their  surprise. 

"  Eighty  guineas,  if  a  penny,"  said  Mrs.  Preager. 

"  And  she  refused  it — because  Diamond  told  her 
to,"  added  Mrs.  Tannenbaum. 

"  Because  Diamond  told  her!  Diamond  answered, 
when  she  was  spoken  to! " 

"Julie,  take  my  word  for  it,  the  world's  coming  to 
an  end!"  summed  up  Mrs.  Tannenbaum. 

The  first  thing  Mrs.  Diamond  became  aware  of,  as 
soon  as  the  visitors  had  left,  was  that  she  had  added  a 
new  sensation  to  her  life:  for  the  first  time  since  she 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  435 

was  married  she  felt  embarrassed  in  the  presence  of  her 
husband.  And  what  was  more,  she  did  not  try  to  dis- 
guise the  fact  from  herself.  Mr.  Diamond's  state  of 
mind  was  also  contrary  to  all  precedent.  The  flush 
and  exhilaration  of  his  great  exploit  had  died  away; 
he  had  returned  to  his  workaday  mood,  and  still  he 
had  not  been  overtaken  by  the  symptoms  which  should 
have  supervened  in  the  usual  course  of  events.  But 
for  all  that  he  furtively  hoped  that  Mrs.  Diamond 
would  take  a  sensible  view  of  the  incident. 

When,  however,  he  did  hear  her  comment  upon  it, 
he  glanced  involuntarily  at  the  couch  to  make  sure 
there  was  no  Lazarus  Diamond  taking  his  nap  there. 

'  Diamond,  you  know  you  came  near  to  being  the 
death  of  me  before?"  began  Mrs.  Diamond. 

'  God  forbid,  Becky;  how  did  I  manage  that?': 

'  By  nearly  making  me  explode  with  pride.  I  didn't 
believe  my  ears.  '  Is  that  Diamond  talking  up  like 
that?'  I  says  to  myself.  You  couldn't  have  done  it 
grander  if  you  had  had  the  whole  world  to  listen  to 
you.  Gracious,  to  see  Julie  and  Sadie  stare — it  was 
worth  a  whole  Regent  Street  jewelry  shop." 

'  I  wasn't  thinking  of  making  them  stare,  Becky, 
my  dear,"  said  Mr.  Diamond  quietly,  "  and  I  wasn't 
riding  the  high  horse  and  parading  myself.  I  talked 
just  the  way  I  was  minded;  and,  thank  God" — he 
wiped  his  forehead  at  the  retrospect — "  you  were  mind- 
ed the  same." 

1  Diamond,  I'm  certain  I  should  have  given  in  even 
if  I  hadn't  been.  I  was  too  proud  of  you  for  anything 
else." 

There  was  a  pregnant  interval,  after  which  Mrs, 
Diamond  resumed. 


436  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT 

"  You  know  what?  Now  that  I  come  to  think  of 
it,  there  must  be  a  lot  of  good  points  about  you  I 
haven't  appreciated." 

"  How  could  I  expect  you  to — a  busy  woman  like 
you?v  Mr.  Diamond  said  to  allay  her  pangs  of  con- 
science. 

"  And  perhaps  my  temper  was  a  trifle  shorter  and 
my  tongue  a  trifle  longer  than  might  have  been." 

'  Well,  then,  I  can't  complain ;  at  least  you  let  me 
have  the  long  and  the  short  of  it." 

"  But  from  to-day  it'll  be  different,  I  promise  you." 

"  Why  different,  Becky?  You're  quite  good  enough 
for  me  as  you  are." 

"  Don't,  or  you'll  make  me  hug  you.  But  oh,  Dia- 
mond  " 

"  Yes,  Becky,  my  dear?  " 

"  If  I  could  have  worn  that  brooch  just  for  five  min- 
utes before  I  gave  it  back!  " 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

It  was  some  days  later.  Mr.  Alexander  was  mak- 
ing his  way  to  the  Underground  Railway  Station  to 
take  train  for  St.  John's  Wood.  He  seemed  in  no 
hurry  to  get  there.  In  fact,  he  had  already  missed  his 
usual  train  and  the  one  after.  It  was  a  full  hour  past 
the  regulation  closing  time  for  City  offices,  but  the 
streets  had  not  yet  assumed  the  aspect  of  cloistral  deso- 
lation they  wore  on  other  evenings.  Nevertheless,  the 
crowds  that  thronged  them  showed  uncannily  lifeless 
— phantomlike  almost;  they  hurried  along  in  quick 
automatic  jerks,  their  footfalls  leaving  no  echo,  their 
movements  a  concert  of  dull,  constrained  silence, 
through  which  the  chorus  of  bawling  newsboys  rang 
with  more  than  its  customarily  distressing  shrillness. 
At  every  turn  one  was  startled  by  the  faces  of  men  and 
women  tense  with  ill-concealed  anxiety  or  lax  in  a 
frank  abandonment  to  wretchedness.  Over  all  there 
hung  an  atmosphere  of  wreckage  and  catastrophe. 

"  How  can  I  tell  her — how  can  I  tell  her?  "  muttered 
Mr.  Alexander  to  himself  for  the  tenth  time. 

And  just  then  a  thought  struck  him  which  caused 
him  to  make  a  spasmodic  grab  at  the  door  handle  of 
the  compartment  in  which  he  was  sitting,  as  though  he 
intended  to  jump  out  and  outdistance  the  train  by 
running. 

"  Good  God,  while  I  have  been  loitering  about  in 
my  cowardice,  some  one  may  have  taken  the  news  to 
her  already/' 


438  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

He  had  indeed  a  difficult  task  before  him,  as  bearers 
of  unwelcome  tidings  always  must  have;  but  though 
he  had  delayed  it  as  long  as  possible,  he  had  not  for 
a  moment  meant  to  shirk  it.  If  he  could  not  deaden 
the  shock  utterly,  he  might  at  least  do  some  good  by 
catching  the  rebound  of  it  on  his  own  heart.  For  the 
remainder  of  the  journey  he  consoled  himself  vaguely 
with  the  recollection  of  the  telegram  he  had  sent  Phil: 

"  Don't  fail  to  come  up  this  evening.  You  may  be 
wanted." 

A  glance  at  his  sister,  as  he  entered  the  sitting- 
room,  told  Mr.  Alexander,  greatly  to  his  relief,  that 
she  knew  nothing. 

"  You  seem  to  have  had  a  hard  day,  Bram,"  said 
Mrs.  Duveen  affectionately  passing  her  hand  over  the 
furrows  on  his  forehead. 

"  Not  that  so  much.     I  feel  a  little  worried." 

"What,  the  markets  bad?" 

"  No,  there  have  been  some  -  disquieting  rumors 
about,  concerning  the  City  and  Southminster  Bank." 

"  My  Bank,  Bram?"  asked  Mrs.  Duveen,  her  voice 
rather  unsteady.  "  But  didn't  you  at  once  go  round 
to  Mr.  Barker  to  enquire?"  she  added. 

"  I  did.  Rose,  be  a  brave  little  woman.  The  Bank 
has  failed." 

"  And  I  am  penniless." 

"  Not  absolutely,  dear.  Barker  says  the  liquidation 
will  leave  at  least  three  shillings  in  the  pound.  That 
will  still " 

"  Oh,  my  poor  child — my  poor  little  Dulcie,"  moan- 
ed Mrs.  Duveen. 

"  Rose,  don't  be  unreasonable.     The  thing  is  a  blow, 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  439 

I  admit,  but  you  must  not  forget  that  I  am  your 
brother,  and.  .  .  ." 

'  Don't  scold  me,  Bram,"  was  her  reply.  '  Just  let 
me  say  or  do  whatever  I  like  for  the  moment.  I  shall 
have  plenty  of  time  to  be  ashamed  of  it  afterwards." 

And  taking  his  consent  for  granted,  she  broke  into 
a  fit  of  weeping  that  shook  her  from  head  to  foot. 
Mr.  Alexander  stepped  back,  and  looked  on  helplessly, 
dividing  his  apprehensive  gaze  between  his  sister  and 
the  door.  His  apprehension  was  justified,  for  pres- 
ently Dulcie  entered,  and  took  in  the  scene  in  agonized 
bewilderment. 

"  Dulcie,  we  have  lost  all  our  money;  the  Bank  has 
failed,"  cried  Mrs.  Duveen,  in  answer  to  the  girl's 
mutely  frantic  attempts  to  soothe  her  back  into  self- 
composure. 

Dulcie  rose  to  her  feet  with  a  bound,  and,  her  hand 
tightly  pressed  to  her  fluttering  heart,  drew  a  piteous 
breath  of  relief. 

'  Is  that  all?  "  she  asked,  looking  at  Uncle  Bram  for 
corroboration.  "  I  thought  that  perhaps  somebody 
was  dead." 

"  Yes,  that's  all,"  echoed  Uncle  Bram,  heroically 
calm.  "  I  told  her  it  was  nothing  to  make  a  fuss 
about." 

"Make  a  fuss  about?"  cried  Dulcie,  back  on  her 
knees  at  her  mother's  side.  "  I  shouldn't  think  it  was. 
Why,  mother,  it's  splendid.  We'll  take  a  three- 
roomed  cottage  in  the  country,  and  I'll  go  and  fetch 
the  milk  in  the  morning,  fresh  from  the  cow,  and  do 
the  housekeeping  and  cooking.  .  .  ." 

"  And  make  yourself  foolish  generally,"  growled 
Uncle    Bram   viciously.     "  Rose,    Dulcie,   understand 


440  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

one  thing.  There's  going  to  be  no  nonsense  here. 
Cottage,  cows,  cooking — ridiculous!  If  it  were  not 
that  I  wanted  to  save  you  the  trouble  of  making  out 
cheques  on  a  non-existent  Bank,  you  wouldn't  have 
known  anything  at  all  about  this,  as  far  as  I  could 
have  helped  it.  You  both  know  as  well  as  I  what  I 
was  going  to  do  with  my  money.  Don't  let  us  have 
any  absurd  expostulations  about  it.  I  don't  suppose 
you  would  have  scrupled  to  take  it,  if  left  to  you  in 
due  course  by  my  last  will  and  testament.  If  you  raise 
any  objections  now,  I  shall  have  no  alternative  but  to 
beat  them  down  by  threatening  to  remove  myself  from 
the  face  of  this  earth  forcibly  and  unnaturally  in  the 
flush  of  my  youth  and  beauty." 

"  Hush,  Bram,"  breathed  Mrs.  Duveen,  her  hand- 
kerchief still  to  her  eyes,  and  her  hand  groping 
blindly  for  that  of  her  brother. 

"  Then  we  shall  consider  it  settled,"  said  the  latter, 
seizing  it  warmly.  "  It's  no  use  making  a  secret  of 
your  loss,  Rose.  Everybody  will  know  how  the  fail- 
ure has  affected  you  financially.  But  otherwise  you 
need  not  answer  impertinent  questions,  and  I  dare  say 
you  are  strong  enough  to  let  people  think  what  they 
like." 

"  Do  you  suppose  I  should  have  the  slightest  hesi- 
tation in  letting  them  know  who  has  come  to  our  res- 
cue— even  if  they  did  not  guess?  "  asked  Mrs.  Duveen, 
regarding  him  reproachfully. 

"  Only  you  might  have  waited  a  little  before  res- 
cuing us,"  added  Dulcie,  with  the  pretense  of  a  pout. 

"  There  was  absolutely  no  reason  why  I  should," 
smiled  Uncle  Bram. 

"  Yes,  there  was.     Here  we  have  been  rich  and  poor 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  441 

and  rich  again,  all  in  the  same  breath.  You  ought  to 
have  given  us  a  chance  of  getting  the  full  benefit  out 
of  our  reverse." 

"  Benefit?"  repeated  Uncle  Bram,  astonished. 

"  I  mean,  get  the  whole  moral  of  it,  grow  humble 
and  introspective  and  chastened  in  spirit,  as  is  becom- 
ing under  the  circumstances.  You  might,  at  least, 
have  given  us  time  to  look  interesting  as  people  who 
had  '  seen  better  days,  you  know ' — oh,  what  a  horrid 
thing  I  am  to  make  you  reproaches,  even  in  fun ! ' 

And  for  further  earnest  of  her  repentance,  her  arms 
were  round  his  neck  and  her  face  on  the  lapel  of  his 
coat.  Mr.  Alexander,  patting  her  cheek,  felt  a  hot 
trickle  pass  over  his  hand.  That  warned  him  not  to 
pursue  the  subject.  So  he  suddenly  became  very  mat- 
ter-of-fact, and  launched  forth  on  a  brisk  account  of 
the  causes,  which,  as  far  as  he  had  ascertained,  had  led 
to  the  failure  of  the  City  and  Southminster. 

But  though  he  addressed  himself  impartially  both  to 
mother  and  daughter,  he  had  in  reality  only  one  listen- 
er. Mrs.  Duveen's  thoughts  were  elsewhere;  they 
were  with  Phil.  She  was  harping  on  the  promise  she 
had  made  him.  Immediately  after  the  momentary  un- 
reasoning alarm  for  the  future  of  her  child  had  come 
the  realization  of  the  predicament  in  which  the  unfore- 
seen course  of  events  had  placed  her.  Dulcie  was  se- 
cured, but  Phil  was  counting  on  the  support  of  a 
broken  reed.  She,  who  had  been  an  almoner  in  her 
own  right,  had  become  a  pensioner  herself.  She  had 
made  no  resistance  to  accepting  help,  because  she 
knew  the  spirit  in  which  she  had  done  her  own  dis- 
pensing; and  she  also  knew  as  intimately  that  her 
kinship  with  her  only  brother  was   something  more 


442  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

than  mere  affinity  of  blood.  And  so  she  was  con- 
vinced that  he  regarded  this  opportunity  of  being 
good  to  those  he  loved  as  a  favor  to  himself;  had  she 
not  felt  the  same?  She  was  equally  certain  that  he 
would  save  her  the  ignominy  of  not  being  able  to 
meet  her  self-imposed  obligations.  That  practically 
disposed  of  the  difficulty  with  Phil.  Still,  it  compli- 
cated things  unnecessarily,  if  not  very  formidably. 
Besides,  there  was  Phil  himself  to  be  reckoned  with. 
But  she  had  faith  in  Phil;  he  could  be  easily  made  to 
see  things  in  their  proper  light.  It  was  only  fair  to 
him,  however,  that  she  should  assure  herself  of  his  de- 
cision before  she  put  the  case  to  her  brother.  She 
looked  forward  to  it  with  some  impatience,  but  with 
no  great  disquietude. 

Phil  arrived  just  as  Mr.  Alexander  was  bringing  his 
story  to  a  close.     He  looked  anxious  and  perturbed. 

"  Bread  and  cheese  for  dinner  to-day — we  must 
economize/'  Dulcie  greeted  him  merrily. 

Phil  nodded,  but  evidently  without  entering  into  the 
spirit  of  the  jest.  "  I  just  saw  it  in  the  paper,"  he  said 
gravely.     "  Is  it  really  so  serious?" 

"  I  am  afraid  it  is — for  some  of  the  other  depositors," 
answered  Mr.  Alexander.  "Then  apparently  you 
didn't  get  my  wire." 

"  No,  I  haven't  been  at  my  rooms  since  lunch." 

"  I  wired  to  Phil  to  come  up,"  explained  Mr.  Alex- 
ander genially,  eager  to  prevent  a  recurrence  of  the 
emotional  stage  of  the  proceedings.  "  I  can't  keep  it 
on  my  conscience.  I  wanted  him  to  help  me  in  the 
task  of  administering  consolation — a  horrible  outrage 
on  your  common  sense,  for  which  my  humblest  apolo- 
gies.    I   ought  to  have  known  how   beautifully  you 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  443 

two  women  would  take  it.     Not  much  trace  of  a  cata- 
clysm here,  eh,  Phil?  " 

"  For  the  other  depositors,  you  said,"  reverted  Phil. 
"  Then  am  I  to  understand  that  the  breakdown  has 
not  affected  Aunt  very  greatly?" 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  replied  Mr.  Alexander  hastily. 

"  I  am  very  thankful,  indeed,"  said  Phil,  looking  his 
relief. 

"  Quite  so,"  commented  Mr.  Alexander  indefinitely. 
"  And  now  please  we'll  quit  this  miserable  business; 
we  have  honored  it  quite  enough  with  our  attention. 
When  do  you  begin  your  campaign,  Phil?" 

'  To-morrow  evening  Sir  Saul  will  introduce  me 
formally  to  the  Association,"  replied  Phil  rather  re- 
luctantly. Mr.  Alexander's  evident  desire  to  get 
away  from  the  "  miserable  business  "  looked  to  him 
very  suspicious,  and  renewed  his  previous  apprehen- 
sions. He  also  felt  a  little  hurt.  Perhaps  Mr.  Alex- 
ander might  have  vouchsafed  to  him  some  explanation 
how  Mrs.  Duveen  had  succeeded  in  escaping  the  dis- 
aster which,  from  all  accounts,. had  overwhelmed  every- 
body else.  However,  he  kept  his  thoughts  well  under 
control,  and  took  his  share  in  the  conversation  with 
as  good  a  grace  as  possible,  waiting  his  opportunity. 

That  came  when  Mrs.  Duveen  rose,  ostensibly  to 
pay  a  visit  to  the  kitchen.  There  was  no  need  of  her 
significant  manner  to  tell  Phil  that  the  movement  was 
a  feint.  Laughingly  offering  his  help  he  hurried  after 
her. 

The  laugh  stopped  abruptly  on  the  other  side  of  the  ^ 
door. 

"  What  is  the  truth  about  this,  Aunt?"  he  asked 
almost  harshly. 


444 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 


"  Come  in  here,"  she  said,  drawing  him  quickly  into 
the  little  chamber  that  served  as  her  sanctum. 

Phil  entered,  and  waited  for  her  to  speak. 

"  You  guessed  rightly,"  she  began,  her  voice  full  of 
deprecation;  "  Bram  has  not  told  you  the  real  state  of 
things.  My  fortune  is  gone.  Bram  talks  of  three 
shillings  in  the  pound,  but  I  don't  believe  him.  Some- 
thing altogether  irretrievable  must  have  happened  to 
compel  an  important  concern  like  the  City  and  South- 
minster  to  declare  bankrupt.  For  my  own  part  and 
Dulcie's,  the  difference  it  makes  in  our  position  is  very 
slight,  thanks  to  Bram.  But  you  know  where  the 
inconvenience  of  it  comes  in." 

Phil  nodded,  without,  however,  looking  at  her. 

Mrs.  Duveen  went  on  more  warmly:  "  You  must 
also  know  that  the  inconvenience  exists  only  on  the 
surface.  I  only  want  your  permission  to  act,  and  it  is 
removed  altogether." 

"You  mean  through  Uncle  Bram?" 

"Yes;  I  am  glad  you  don't  'shy'  at  the  idea.  Of 
course,  at  first  glance  it  may  seem  a  second-hand  way 
of  doing  things,  but  that  is  a  matter  which  ought  to 
trouble  me  instead  of  you.  If  I  have  no  compunction 
about  it,  you  certainly  ought  to  have  none.  Tell  me, 
when  shall  I  ask  him?     To-night?" 

1  No,  no,  not  to-night,"  replied  Phil  with  impulsive 
haste.  "  I  must  think  it  over  thoroughly  by  myself 
first.  Perhaps  I  may  find  my  own  way  of  circumvent- 
ing the  difficulty." 

Mrs.  Duveen  looked  disappointed.  "  At  any  rate, 
give  me  your  assurance  that  you  will  make  Bram  your 
first  fall-back — as  my  substitute." 

"  I  will,  I  will,"  promised  Phil,  but  with  so  patent 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  445 

an  air  of  abstraction  that  Mrs.  Duveen  might  well 
doubt  whether  he  had  grasped  the  full  purport  of  her 
request. 

"  Does  Eff — I  mean  do  the  Elkins  know?  "  he  asked 
suddenly. 

"  Not  so  far  as  I  am  aware." 

"Shall  I  go  and  tell  them?" 

'  There  is  no  particular  reason  why  you  should. 
But  perhaps  you  still  require  a  pretext — the  week  isn't 
up  yet,"  smiled  Mrs.  Duveen;  "and  if  she  can  get 
away,  bring  Effie  back  with  you." 

But  Phil  had  only  set  foot  in  the  street,  when  he 
came  upon  Effie  hurrying  towards  the  house. 

"  I  know,  I  know,"  she  forestalled  him  breathlessly. 
'  Somebody  came  in  and  casually  mentioned  that  the 
Bank  had  failed;  and  mother,  guessing  what  it  meant 
to  Aunt  Rose,  sent  me  round  to  do  what  I  could  to 
cheer  them  up.  She  won't  be  able  to  go  out  herself 
for  another  day  or  two.  Are  they  dreadfully  upset, 
and  does  it  hit  them  very  hard?  " 

Phil  briefly  told  her  as  much  as  he  knew  of  the  situa- 
tion, and  then  they  sought  admission. 

Mr.  Alexander  had  certainly  good  cause  to  be  grati- 
fied at  the  light-heartedness  by  which  both  Mrs.  Du- 
veen and  Dulcie  testified  how  thoroughly  he  had  set 
their  minds  at  rest.  He  had  scarcely  hoped  for  so 
great  and  so  immediate  a  reward.  It  would  have 
needed  indeed  a  sharp  eye  to  have  detected  from  evi- 
dence furnished  by  this  merry  company  that  the 
shadow  of  a  great  disaster  had  come  and  gone  that 
very  day.  Effie,  having  scribbled  a  re-assuring  note 
and  despatched  it  through  Mrs.  Duveen's  maid,  re- 
quired no  pressure  to  be  induced  to  stay,  especially  as 


446  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

she  knew  her  mother  well  provided  as  to  company  for 
the  evening.  The  one  exception  was  Phil,  and  that 
only  at  the  beginning.  Having  betrayed  a  wool-gath- 
ering mood  by  frequent  "  I-beg-your-pardons  "  on  be- 
ing addressed,  and  having  got  soundly  rated  for  the 
same,  he  eventually  pulled  himself  together  to  escape 
further  comment. 

So  it  was  past  ten  when  Effie  left,  escorted  by  Phil. 
"  I  haven't  thanked  you  for  your  note  of  this  after- 
noon," she  said  eagerly  as  soon  as  they  were  outside. 
"  It's  awfully  good  of  Sir  Saul  to  take  on  himself  the 
trouble  of  presenting  you  to  the  Committee;  he  must 
think  a  lot  of  you.  I  have  been  glad  all  day  at  the 
thought  that  at  last  you  are  beginning  work  in  earnest. 
The  idea  of  it  grows  on  me  hour  by  hour.  Phil,  the 
more  I  reflect  on  it,  the  more  certain  I  become  that  you 
have  a  great  political  career  before  you." 

"  It  is  very  kind  of  you  to  say  so,"  he  murmured. 

But  such  as  they  were,  the  words  cost  him  an  effort 
she  did  not  dream  of.  And  yet  he  felt  a  strong  im- 
pulse to  go  on  speaking  and  tell  her — what?  Had  he 
something  to  tell  her?  Had  he  already  made  sure  of 
himself?  Even  if  he  had,  he  must  make  still  surer. 
That  he  could  only  do  by  looking  deep,  deep  down  in 
his  heart,  but  alone,  with  nobody  near  him.  Besides, 
it  was  already  so  late  to-night — there  was  really  no 
hurry.  .  .  And  while  he  was  thus  haggling  with  him- 
self for  grace,  the  opportunity  had  passed,  for  presently 
she  resumed,  and  with  a  voice  that  had  changed  from 
seriousness  to  archness: 

"  Phil,  dear,  I  could  tell  you  something  that  would 
interest  you  very  much,"  she  was  saying. 

"  Everything  you  tell  me.  .  .  ," 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  447 

"  But  I  don't  think  I  ought  to,"  she  interrupted  the 
coming  compliment. 

"  Don't  do  violence  to  yourself,"  he  said  indulgently. 

"  Ycu  great,  big  silly,  don't  you  see  I  want  to  be 
worried  into  telling?  " 

He  humored  her  instantly. 

"  Well,  it's  something  about  Dulcie,"  she  resumed 
with  affected  reluctance,  to  keep  up  the  appearance  of 
compulsion.  "  The  loss  of  her  mother's  money  doesn't 
seem  to  have  left  any  bad  results  on  her;  I  hope  her 
loss  of  something  else  won't  leave  any  either." 

"The  loss  of  what?" 

"  Oh,  dear,  there's  denseness  for  you.  Of  her  heart, 
of  course." 

Phil  halted  in  surprise.  "  Really?  I  had  no  notion 
of  it." 

"What,  not  even  a  notion?  Oh,  Phil,  you  are  ag- 
gravating." 

"  Forgive  me,  dearest,  I  did  not  have  the  inclination 
to  notice  anything  but  you." 

The  loving  pressure  of  her  arm  on  his  assured  him 
of  her  contrition  and  gratitude. 

"  Who  is  he?  Do  I  know  him?  He  must  be  a  par- 
agon among  men  to  deserve  her,"  he  went  on,  his 
voice  rising  at  the  last  words. 

"  You  could  tell  that  best — that  is,  if  you  are  not 
unduly  prejudiced  in  his  favor." 

The  meaning  of  her  allusion  was  unmistakable.  It 
startled  and  held  him  tongue-tied. 

"  Phil,  dear,"  she  pleaded,  "  you  don't  consider  I 
have  been  blabbing?  Because  I  haven't.  Seeing  that 
you  are  I,  and  I  am  you,  and  we  are  both  each  other, 


448  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT 

or  ought  to  be — it  would  have  been  wrong  if  I  had 
kept  it  from  you." 

".Distinctly  wrong/'  he  comforted  her  smilingly. 
"  Only  I  want  to  know — did  you  tell  me  for  any  pur- 
pose? " 

"  God  forbid,"  she  ejaculated,  horrified.  "  You 
don't  suspect  Dulcie  has  given  me  a  brief  for  her?': 

"  This  time  it  ought  to  be  my  turn  to  scold,"  he  said 
gently,  as  they  came  to  a  halt  outside  Erne's  home, 
"  but  I  generously  refrain  from  keeping  you  out  in  the 
cold  here.  I  will  only  say  this  about  Dulcie  and  Leuw: 
if  it  is  to  be,  they  will  find  each  other,  as  we  have." 

"  Phil,  that  sounds  frightfully  fatalistic,"  she  jested. 

"  Remember  we  hail  from  the  Orient,  the  home  of 
Kismet,"  he  explained. 

She  laughed  merrily,  but  his  own  face  remained 
strangely  staid. 

"As  we  have,"  she  harked  back  softly.  "And  to- 
morrow we  are  going  to  tell  the  whole  world  about  it." 

"  To-morrow,"  he  echoed.  "  I  -  shall  come  to  re- 
mind you,  in  case  you  forget." 

"  It  may  be  necessary.  I  had  nearly  forgotten  the 
world — through  you." 

He  thrilled.  Such  a  "  good-night "  was  worth  liv- 
ing for.     And  then  he  went  home  to  think. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

That  Phil  was  true  to  his  intention,  and  did  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  hard  thinking  that  night  was  man- 
ifest the  next  morning  from  the  dark  circles  under  his 
eyes  and  a  general  appearance  of  drawn  haggardness. 
But  despite  these  visible  vestiges  of  inward  storm  and 
stress,  his  face  wore  a  confident  serenity,  which  showed 
that  the  back  of  the  conflict  was  broken,  and  that  he 
had  issued  victorious.  And,  indeed,  he  felt  a  wonder- 
ful sense  of  security  as  he  thought  of  what  lay  behind 
him.  That  day  contained  for  him  one  great  uncer- 
tainty; but,  whichever  way  its  balance  might  incline, 
the  night  had  been  an  indubitable,  inalienable  achieve- 
ment, in  which  he  would  find — if  he  had  need  for  it — 
a  partial  compensation. 

He  rose  early,  because  the  morning's  program  was 
a  full  one.  It  comprised  four  calls,  each  of  them  mo- 
mentous, and  he  was  desirous  of  getting  them  over, 
because  he  knew  that,  till  he  had  done  so,  his  life  would 
be  a  dangerous  and  demoralizing  seesaw  of  emotion. 
Emotion,  at  the  best,  was  but  a  luxury  of  the  soul;  he 
was  certainly  paying  too  heavily  for  his  by  a  prolonged 
drain  on  his  mind  and  body. 

In  accordance  with  this  mood  of  practical  economy, 
he  gave  priority  to  the  visit  which,  among  those  on 
his  list,  could  lay  claim  to  the  most  business-like  na- 
ture. It  took  him  to  Sir  Saul  Simmondson.  The  in- 
terview between  the  two  men  did  not  last  long,  but, 

short  as  it  was,  it  effected  its  purpose  decisively.     It 
29 


450 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


was  also  encouraging.  As  Phil  left  the  baronet,  he 
called  himself  a  fool  for  having  anticipated  difficulties 
and  for  not  approaching  the  matter  in  hand  with  a 
more  equable  state  of  mind.  Sir  Saul  had  received 
the  information  Phil  had  brought  him  sympathetically, 
and  had  indeed  seemed  a  little  surprised  at  the  agita- 
tion his  visitor  had  displayed.  Phil  told  himself  that 
he  ought  to  take  advantage  of  the  moral  of  the  circum- 
stance and  to  act  accordingly. 

But  for  all  that,  his  heart  beat  considerably  faster  as 
Mrs.  Elkin's  house  hove  in  sight.  Still,  he  had  a  ready 
excuse  for  that;  it  would  have  been  much  more 
strange  if  his  blood  had  not  coursed  quicker  at  the  im- 
mediate prospect  of  seeing  Effie.  It  did  not  even 
strike  him  as  curious  that,  although  quite  fifteen  hours 
— waking  hours,  most  of  them — had  passed  since  he 
had  last  set  eyes  on  her,  he  should  now  feel  hardly 
conscious  of  the  interval,  instead  of  deeming  it  a  petty 
eternity.  It  only  proved  to  him  how  deeply  she  had 
entered  into  his  being,  how  inseparable  her  entity  had 
become  from  his,  that  time  and  space  perished  before 
this  all-pervasiveness  of  hers.  "  You  are  I,  and  I  am 
you."  Yes,  she  was  right.  Perhaps  he  had  only  just 
now  stumbled  on  the  real  truth  why  he  had  so  long 
delayed  asking  her  formally  to  identify  her  life  with 
his. 

She  opened  the  door  for  him  herself,  and  the  dull, 
murky  morning  seemed  suddenly  to  become  flooded 
with  light  and  fragrance. 

"  I  have  been  studying  your  knock — wasn't  it  good 
of  me?" 

Then  her  tone  veered  round  to  dismay.  "  Oh,  dear, 
from  where  did  you  get  that  gray  face?" 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  451 

"  I — I  slept  badly,"  he  stammered,  following  her  into 
the  room. 

"  I  thought  you  had  perhaps  bad  news  for  me — for 
instance,  that  you  repented  your  contract,"  she 
laughed  with  shamefaced  joyousness. 

'  I  have  news  for  you,"  he  replied  tremulously;  "  but 
whether  it  is  good  or  bad,  depends  entirely  on  your 
point  of  view." 

'I  like  that  sort  of  news,"  was  her  comment;  "it 
makes  you  feel  as  if  you  were  the  arbiter  of  your  own 
destiny.     Quick,  let  me  hear." 

*  My  candidature  for  the  St.  James'  Division  is  can- 
celed," he  said. 

Her  face  fell.  "  No,  that  is  not  good  news,"  she 
said  slowly.  "  Have  they  superseded  you  by  another 
man?" 

"  No." 

1  Perhaps  you  are  going  to  stand  for  another  con- 
stituency instead,"  she  hazarded  eagerly. 

"  Neither." 

A  puzzled  look  came  over  her.  "  Then  I  don't  un- 
derstand it,  Phil." 

"  I  have  withdrawn  of  my  own  accord." 

"  Of  your  own  accord?"  she  repeated.  "  Nonsense, 
you  are  jesting." 

"  No,  dear,  it  is  true.  I  have  just  come  from  Sir 
Saul.  I  went  to  inform  him  that  the  Committee  must 
look  out  for  another  candidate." 

She  seemed  to  hold  her  breath  as  she  asked :  "  What 
made  you  do  that?" 

Phil  did  not  answer  immediately;  he  was  annoyed 
with  himself.  He  knew  she  would  ask  the  question, 
and  he  had  been  so  improvident  as  not  to  have  mar- 


45^ 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 


shaled  his  case  properly  beforehand.  And  so  he  came 
out,  floundering  and  at  random  almost,  with  the  expla- 
nation how  the  financial  disaster  which  had  overtaken 
Mrs.  Duveen  had  affected  him  also,  inasmuch  as  it 
had  made  void  her  promise  as  to  the  supply  of  means 
necessary  for  launching  him  on  his  career. 

Efiie  listened  intently,  and  then  laughed  in  the  full- 
ness of  her  relief. 

"Is  that  all?"  she  asked.  "  Only  a  matter  of 
money?  You  foolish  boy,  beating  about  the  bush  like 
that.  Surely  you  must  have  known  you  had  only  to 
speak  out,  and  I " 

He  interrupted  her  with  a  quick  gesture.  '  No, 
dear/'  he  said  gently;  "  I  thank  you  sincerely,  but  you 
cannot  help  me." 

She  came  close  to  him,  and  stroked  his  hand  with 
smiling  indulgence. 

"  Of  course,  Phil,  dear,  you  have  to  say  so/'  she 
answered,  her  voice  as  caressing  as  her  hand.  You 
men  have  such  funny  notions  of  pride.  The  way  you 
are  arguing  in  this  case  I  suppose  is  that  if  Aunt  Rose 
had  advanced  you  this  money,  you  could  have  salved 
your  self-esteem  by  returning  it.  But  you  won't  take 
it  from  me,  because  there  can  be  no  talk  of  borrowing 
or  lending  between  " — she  blushed  gloriously — "  be- 
tween husband  and  wife.  And  so  you  prefer  to  get 
yourself  into  an  impasse.  You  forget  that — but  there, 
Phil,  you  don't  want  me  to  show  you  up  in  all  your 
absurdity?  " 

"  I  admit  your  logic,"  smiled  Phil  tenderly.  '  But 
there  are  other  reasons,  which.  .  .  ." 

She  withdrew  her  hand,  not  too  gently.  "  What- 
ever they  may  be,  I  don't  think  you  ought  to  let  them 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  453 

count  when  you  hear  me  begging  to  be  allowed  to 
smooth  the  way  for  you." 

"If  you  would  only  hear  them,"  he  entreated 
humbly. 

4 1  will  not  hear  them.  You  should  not  even  have 
asked  me  to.  You  know  my  wishes,  and  they,  in  my 
opinion,  should  be  at  least  as  potent  as  your  reasons. 
I  am  not  demanding  more  than  any  woman  would 
think  herself  entitled  to.     Phil,  dear,  give  way  to  me." 

He  shook  his  head,  despairing,  but  firm.  "  I  can't, 
Effie — I  can't.  If  you  will  only  give  me  two  moments 
to  explain.  .  .  ." 

She  stepped  away  from  him,  tears  of  anger  and  in- 
dignation in  her  eyes. 

"  Do  you  know  what  you  have  done?  "  she  exclaim- 
ed. You  have  obtained  my  word  under  false  pre- 
tenses. And  that  being  so,  you  can  hardly  expect  me 
to  consider  it  binding." 

"  Oh,  God,  Effie,  you  won't  go  as  far  as  that?  "  was 
his  cry  of  alarm. 

"  I  should  go  further  if  I  could,"  she  replied  relent- 
lessly. "  You  have  deserved  nothing  better.  You 
came  to  me  with  a  certain  thing,  as  though  it  were 
necessary  to  offer  me  a  bait,  a  bribe,  and  when  you 
had  got  me  to  merge  my  ambition  in  yours,  because 
I  was  unselfish  enough  to  bask  in  your  light  rather 
than  shine  in  my  own,  you  come  again  and  calmly 
propose  to  throw  it  all  overboard — for  other  reasons." 

Her  scorn  seared  him  till  he  winced,  but  she  vainly 
waited  for  him  to  speak. 

'Very  good,  then,"  she  went  on  icily;  "it  appears 
you  fall  in  with  my  suggestion.  I  am  glad  you  do  it 
so  readily.     Nothing  has  been  lost  through — through 


454  S0NS  0F  THE  COVENANT: 

the  false  position  in  which  we  have  been  placed  during 
the  past  few  days.  Nobody  will  or  need  know — my 
condition  of  a  week's  silence  must  have  been  an  inspi- 
ration; it  may  also  console  you  to  learn  that  my  agree- 
ment with  the  agent  still  holds  good — I  had  simply 
forgotten  to  acquaint  him  with  the  change  in  my  in- 
tentions. I  am  sure  you  will  wish  me  success;  at  any 
rate  you  would  have  done  so  a  week  ago,  and  there 
is  nothing  to  prevent  us  from  taking  up  the  thread  of 
our  relations  where  we  left  them  then." 

"  You  had  led  me  to  believe  that  you  loved  me  for 
myself/'  he  said,  with  wide  gaps  between  his  words. 

"  And  I  should  never  have  made  you  think  other- 
wise," she  replied. 

"  No,  because  you  have  done  so  already,"  he  cried 
vehemently. 

She  turned  on  him  a  dispassionate  look  of  enquiry. 

"  You  have  done  so  already,"  he  reiterated,  trying  to 
keep  up  his  vehemence,  but  failing  utterly.  "  I  was 
dear  to  you  only  in  so  far  as  I  was  to  you  the  embodi- 
ment of  our  joint  ambitions.  And  now  that  I  have 
frankly  told  you  that  I  cannot  bring  them  to  issue  in 
a  certain  province  of  which  you  approve,  I  have  be- 
come valueless  in  your  eyes.  What  else  am  I  to 
think?" 

"  If  you  can't  give  me  a  little  more  chivalry,  you 
might  at  least  give  me  better  reasoning,"  she  said  with 
quiet  dignity.  "Tell  me,  of  whose  making  is  this 
breach?  You  want  me  to  believe  that  my  love  is  to 
you  the  dearest  thing  in  the  world,  and  yet,  the  very 
first  occasion  on  which  I  put  it  to  the  test,  you  show 
me  clearly  that  it  has  no  power  beside  your  pride  or 
obstinacy.  .',.," 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  455 

"  Or  something  else/'  he  interrupted  bitterly.  "  You 
see,  you  might  have  known,  but  you  preferred  to  gag 
me  into  silence.  Well,  it  doesn't  matter.  After  all,  if 
you  did  not  credit  me  with  being  sufficiently  sane  as 
not  to  have  come  to  my  resolution  without  rational  and 
legitimate  cause,  I  could  hardly  hope  to  convince  you 
of  the  same  by  the  most  minute  and  elaborate  of  ex- 
planations." 

Her  face  softened,  and  she  came  a  little  nearer. 

"  Your  complaint  is  just,  and  I  was  wrong,"  she 
said.  "  Come,  Phil,  I  have  made  a  concession — do  as 
much.  Look,  I  shall  make  it  still  easier  for  you.  I 
will  not  ask  it  as  a  right,  but  as  a  privilege." 

"  Then  you  insist  on  my.  .  .  ." 

"  Insist?  No,  haven't  I  just  told  you?  I  entreat — I 
implore." 

She  could  read  the  heart-break  and  misery  in  his 
face,  but  his  gesture  of  refusal  was  equally  unmistak- 
able.    She  moved  away  again. 

"  Very  good,"  she  clinched  the  argument,  contin- 
uing almost  playfully:  "  No,  please,  don't  look  so  sad. 
This  is  really  a  matter  for  mutual  congratulation.  We 
have  come  to  a  timely  understanding.  Not  everybody 
is  so  lucky." 

He  stood  still,  turned  to  go,  and  then  faced  her 
again  helplessly.  His  lips  moved  for  a  second  or  two 
before  they  shaped  sound. 

"  You — you  will  let  me  wish  you  success  before  I 
go?" 

"  Oh,  on  my  musical  career?" 

"  I  may  be  of  some  use  to  ycu,"  he  went  on  impo- 
tently,  for  he  knew  it  was  not  what  he  really  wanted 
to  say,  and  yet  he  could  not  help  it,  he  felt  so  barren 


456  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

of  thought.  "  Yes,  I  may  be  useful  to  you.  I  have 
several  influential  critics  among  my  acquaintances. 
One  can't  get  too  much  encouragement  to  begin 
with." 

"Thank  you,  thank  you,"  she  said  quickly;  'it's 
very  good  of  you  to  think  of  it.  And  it's  still  better 
of  you  to  show  your  readiness  to  fall  in  with  my  sug- 
gestion of  before,  and  take  up  the  thread  where  we  left 
it  a  week  ago." 

Despite  the  bluntness  which  had  fallen  upon  his 
senses,  Phil  could  not  help  noting  the  curious  intona- 
tions of  her  last  sentence.  Plainly  she  invited  him  to 
controvert,  repudiate,  protest  against  the  consequence 
implied  in  her  own  offer — held  out  to  him  a  strong 
handle  for  overture,  even  compromise.  He  did  not 
know  whether  to  derive  balm  or  an  increase  of  agony 
from  this  indication  that  she,  too,  could  not  bear  the 
wrench  without  flinching.  But  instead  of  adding  to 
his  confusion,  it  only  warned  him  that  he  must  re- 
double his  hold  on  himself.  And  as  he  could  not  pos- 
sibly do  that  without  straining  himself  dead,  he  had  but 
one  alternative — flight.  With  a  spasmodic  hand- 
shake, to  which  she  responded  mechanically,  and  a 
murmured  "  good-by,"  to  which  she  made  no  answer 
at  all,  he  walked  from  the  room.  Outside  at  the  gate 
he  glanced  back,  and  saw  her  at  the  window,  her  gaze 
following  him  smilingly.  He  turned  away  quickly 
and  hurried  on.  He  had  had  a  narrow  escape;  had  he 
looked  an  instant  longer.  .  .  . 

A  minute  or  two  later  he  was  making  his  third  call. 
Mrs.  Duveen,  the  maid  told  him,  had  gone  out  an 
hour  ago  with  Miss  Dulcie,  and  had  not  left  word 
when  they  would  be  back.     Phil  presumed  they  had 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  457 

run  down  to  the  City,  in  order  to  hear  further  particu- 
lars of  the  bank  smash  at  first  hand.  He  knew  they 
would  hear  nothing  to  gratify  them,  for  the  morning 
paper  he  had  glanced  at  in  the  train  had  stated  that 
the  worst  apprehensions  concerning  the  calamity  were 
more  than  justified.  Phil  had  no  patience  to  wait,  and 
yet  he  felt  unwilling  to  leave  without  having  effected 
his  purpose.  Till  he  had  disposed  of  this  thing  com- 
pletely, he  dared  not  consider  himself  a  free  man.  So 
he  surmounted  the  difficulty  by  stepping  into  the  li- 
brary and  penning  a  note  to  Mrs.  Duveen. 

He  did  not  begin  immediately,  for  he  had  to  wait 
till  the  blur  had  passed  away  from  before  his  sight,  and 
his  hand  had  regained  its  requisite  steadiness.  He  had 
become  conscious  all  at  once  that  here  he  had  reached 
the  sanctuary  of  privacy,  having  escaped  the  hounding 
glare  of  the  inquisitive  streets;  and  he  need  have  no 
shame  before  himself.  But  he  refrained.  Sudden  ex- 
tremes were  dangerous,  and  the  fall  from  the  heights 
of  heroism — the  word  was  no  exaggeration — to  the 
depths  of  abject  weakness,  would  mean  a  disarrange- 
ment of  nerve  and  mental  fibre  not  easily  reparable. 
So  he  forced  his  thoughts  into  working  trim,  and 
started  his  letter  by  informing  Mrs.  Duveen  how  he 
proposed  to  extricate  her  from  the  quandary  in  which 
she  had  hinted  she  had  been  placed  by  her  inability  to 
come  up  to  her  undertaking. 

'I  have  informed  Sir  Saul/'  he  went  on;  "I  told 
him  that,  at  the  very  outset  of  my  professional  career, 
I  could  not  afford  to  trifle  with  my  chances  of  success 
by  dividing  my  energies  between  building  up  a  prac- 
tice and  attending  to  my  parliamentary  responsibili- 
ties— that,  at  any  rate,  the  latter  might  inadvertently 


458  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

suffer,  and  I  dared  not  run  the  risk  of  failing  in  my 
duty  to  the  constituency.  He  accepted  my  explana- 
tion as  valid.  To  you,  however,  I  must  allow  a  deeper 
insight  into  the  machinery  of  my  motives.  That  you 
will  be  surprised.  I  fully  anticipate;  I  was  myself  some- 
what, to  tell  the  truth.  If  you  remember  I  pledged  my- 
self to  make  use,  financially,  oi  no  help  but  yours  in 
settingsout  on  my  political  career,  yours  or  none  at  all. 
At  the  time  I  gave  you  the  assurance  I  had  as  little 
presentiment  as  you  of  the  contrariness  ahead.  But  it 
was  the  first  thought  that  struck  my  mind,  with  veri- 
table sledge-hammer  force,  when  I  heard  the  news  yes- 
terday. From  the  first  moment  I  saw  in  it  something 
more  than  an  annoying  contretemps — I  saw  in  it  the 
finger  of  Providence  outstretched  visibly,  and  indicat- 
ing to  me  that  the  path  on  which  I  was  about  to  enter 
was  not  my  destined  walk  of  life.  It  also  turned  my 
gaze  back  to  things  I  had  left  at  my  rear — but  on  that 
I  feel  no  call  to  expatiate  in  this  note.  What  will  ap- 
pear to  you  strange,  as  it  did  to  me,  is  that  I  should 
bend  the  knee  to  this  almost  primitive  sort  of  fatalism. 
But  I  have  satisfied  myself  on  the  point,  and  feel  con- 
fident I  shall  satisfy  you  when  you  hear  me.'' 

He  paused  a  little  and  bit  his  pen.  The  word 
"  fatalism  "  reminded  him  of  Effie's  jesting  allusion  to 
it  the  night  before.  He  had  explained  it  away  by  an 
ethnological  commonplace.  But  it  startled  him  even 
now  to  think  how  close  to  the  truth  she  had  come. 
For  the  nonce  he  had  considered  it,  not  as  the  natural 
inference  to  be  drawn  from  his  remark,  but  as  a  phe- 
nomenal instance  of  intuition,  second  sight  almost. 
Why  had  she  not  exercised  that  power  to-day?  Why 
had  she  not  interpreted  him  more  truly  herself,  since 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  459 

she  had  refused  him  permission  to  be  his  own  inter- 
preter? Why.  .  .  .  But  he  pulled  himself  up  short; 
once  he  commenced  to  ask  questions,  he  might  not 
know  where  to  stop.  He  might  end  by  concurring 
with  the  people  who  said  that  all  life  was  a  riddle,  in- 
capable of  solution.  He  had  always  refused  to  believe 
it.  Nothing  could  be  more  pernicious,  more  paralyz- 
ing than  this  doctrine  of  the  vanity  of  human  endeavor. 
Action  was  but  the  spirit  of  enquiry  materialized;  and 
he  did  not  want  to  be  brought  to  a  halt  before  the  dead 
wall  of  blank  impossibility.  He  had  many  things  to 
do — and  he  would  do  them. 

He  brought  his  letter  to  a  close,  practically  adding 
nothing  save  the  assurance  that  this  decision  of  his  was 
final,  and  a  request  that  she  should  accept  it  as  such. 
He  put  the  note  into  an  envelope,  and  handed  it  to 
the  maid  to  deliver  to  Mrs.  Duveen  immediately  on 
her  return.  Then  he  sallied  out  once  more  to  pay  his 
fourth  and  last  call  that  morning.  He  anticipated  it 
eagerly;  for  this  time  his  was  a  more  grateful  errand. 
He  went  not  to  take  away,  to  dispossess,  but  to  restore, 
to  make  amends.  He  could  look  forward  to  sympa- 
thy, to  open  arms.  And  how  sorely  he  needed  them! 
His  whole  being  was  nothing  but  a  bruise,  a  weari- 
ness, an  aching  rebound. 

He  found  Leuw  in  his  outer  office. 

"  Have  you  five  minutes  for  me?"  Phil  asked  him. 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Leuw,  taking  him  by  the  arm 
and  stepping  with  him  into  his  private  room. 

"This  is  a  sad  business,  isn't  it?"  he  said,  closing 
the  door  behind  them. 

"What  is?"  asked  Phil  quickly. 

"  The  City  and  Southminster.  I  met  Mr.  Alexander 


460  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

this  morning,  and  he  stopped  to  ask  whether  I  was  at 
all  involved.  I  was  glad  to  be  able  to  say  I  was  not. 
He  and  I  are  apparently  the  only  two  people  who  can 
say  that.  And  then  he  told  me  about  poor  Mrs. 
Duveen." 

Phil  made  no  comment,  but  stood,  with  his  back  to 
Leuw,  staring  moodily  into  the  grate.  Leuw  watched 
him  thus  for  a  little  time;  then  with  a  quiet  smile  he 
pulled  out  his  cheque  book,  and  put  his  signature  to 
one  of  the  blank  forms. 

"Do  you  mind  coming  here  a  moment,  Phil?  ?  he 
called. 

Phil  obeyed,  slowly  stepping  up  to  the  writing-desk. 

"  Oblige  me  by  filling  that  in,"  continued  Leuw, 
holding  out  to  him  his  pen;  "but  please  don't  make 
it  more  than  seven  figures,"  he  cautioned  him  with  a 
laugh. 

"  What  is  this  for?  "  asked  Phil,  staring  at  the  paper 
slip. 

"  For  anything  you  require.  We  need  not  go  into 
details." 

Phil  looked  at  him  keenly,  and  then  pushed  the 
cheque  back  to  him. 

"  Thank  you,  very  much,  but  I  really  have  no  use 
for  it." 

"  Nonsense,  Phil ;  you  must  have.  You  told  me  you 
have,  at  present,  no  fixed  income.  And  now  that  you 
have  no  longer  Mrs.  Duveen  to  rely  on — remember 
your  election  is  approaching." 

Phil  shook  his  head.  It  struck  him  if  every  sinner 
were  to  have  so  many  stumbling-blocks  placed  in  the 
path  of  his  repentance,  the  occasions  for  joy  in  heaven 
would  be  few  and  far  between. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  461 

'  Leuw,"  he  said  at  last  resolutely,  "  there  will  be  no 
election — for  me.  I  have  withdrawn."  And  then, 
without  giving  his  brother  time  to  voice  his  astonish- 
ment, he  proceeded:  "  I  know  I  have  done  everything 
I  could  do  to  forfeit  your  confidence.  But  if  you  will 
give  me  a  chance  of  retrieving  myself,  I  promise  you 
will  not  again  be  disappointed.  Take  me  back,  Leuw; 
let  us  work  together  at  the  task  that  was  to  be  ours." 

'The  Scheme,  you  mean?"  exclaimed  Leuw,  start- 
ing up. 

"  The  Scheme,"  repeated  Phil  solemnly.  "  Leuw,  I 
feel  like  a  man  who  has  awakened  from  a  trance,  in 
which  he  has  been  doing  the  will  of  another — and  has 
done  ill  things.  I  have  treated  you  very  badly,  Leuw, 
so  badly  that  you  might  well  look  on  my  very  apology 
as  an  insult." 

'  But  I  had  no  notion  of  this — the  change  is  so  sud- 
den," said  Leuw  bewildered. 

4  It  had  to  be  sudden  or  not  at  all,"  replied  Phil. 

'  Perhaps  my  conscience  would,  sooner  or  later,  have 

got  tickled  into  life;  but  that  is  problematic.     What  it 

wanted  was  a  downright  upheaval,  to  shake  it  to  its 

very  foundations.     And,  thank  God,  it  has  had  it." 

And  with  bated  breath  he  told  Leuw,  using  almost 
the  same  words  as  in  his  note  to  Mrs.  Duveen,  what  it 
was  that  had  influenced  him  so  powerfully. 

'  I  don't  suppose  I  shall  be  able  to  convince  one 
man  out  of  a  hundred  that  this  does  not  smack  of  rank 
superstition,"  he  went  on  with  a  short  laugh;  "  but 
what  does  it  matter  that  the  medicine  was  not  accord- 
ing to  prescription,  so  long  as  the  patient  is  cured? 
Oh,  what  an  inconsistent  fool  I  have  been!  I  railed  in 
all   the   bitterness   of  my  heart   against   those   of   us 


462  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

whose  self-interest  counseled  them  to  seek  the  wider 
scope  and  the  more  glittering  rewards  of  the  outer 
world,  instead  of  following  the  secret  call  they  must  all 
have  felt  at  one  time  or  another  to  set  in  order  the 
things  that  were  awry  in  the  community.  I  was  angry 
with  them  because  they  did  not  perceive  and  snatch  at 
the  opportunity  of  doing  their  duty  to  their  country — 
by  doing  their  duty  to  their  brethren.  And  now  I 
have  become  myself  my  most  flagrant  instance  in 
point.  Leuw,  do  you  think  I  can  ever  again  set  any 
store  on  my  judgment  of  right  and  wrong?'1 

Leuw's  face  had  taken  to  itself  a  troubled  look,  but 
he  spoke  soothingly. 

"  You  are  too  severe  on  yourself,  Phil.  Listen  to 
me.  You  know  I  welcome  you  back  with  all  my  heart 
and  soul.  If,  half  an  hour  ago,  anybody  had  asked 
me  for  my  dearest  wish — at  least,  one  of  them  "---his 
voice  fell  at  the  last  words — "  it  would  have  been  your 
return  to  the  camp.  But  what  you  have  just  said 
opens  to  me  another  aspect  of  the  question.  It  is  true, 
as  you  say,  that  the  great  majority  of  us  would  best 
serve  our  fellow-citizens  by  serving  our  fellow-Jews. 
Still,  there  are,  no  doubt,  some  few  of  us,  of  whom  our 
country  can  make  use  in  a  more  direct  fashion,  espe- 
cially in  the  vocation  which  has  been  offered  to  you. 
Remember  our  race  has  already  given  England  one 
man  to  whom  she  owes  at  least  something  of  her  great- 
ness." 

"  And  you  think  I  may  turn  out  to  be  another?" 
broke  in  Phil,  with  an  incredulous  smile. 

"Who  knows?"  returned  Leuw  soberly.  "You 
certainly  have  given  proof  that  you  may  aspire  to  any- 
thing." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  463 

"  No,  Leuw,  not  so  high  as  all  that,"  said  Phil.  "  To 
begin  with,  it  is  against  the  chances  of  probability. 
Our  having  had  a  Beaconsfield  as  recently  as  a  gen- 
eration ago  is  almost  conclusive  that  there  will  not  be 
a  second  for  a  very  long  time  yet,  if  at  all.  History 
repeats  itself  in  events — rarely  in  individuals.  For 
another  thing,  Leuw,  it  would  be  against  the  spirit  of 
the  race.  Our  race  is  prodigal  in  towering  talent,  butlt 
is  chary  in  real  master  minds.  We  are  in  the  habit  of 
accounting  for  that  by  pointing  to  the  hostile  circum- 
stances which  have,  for  so  many  centuries,  cramped 
and  hampered  our  development.  But  I  think  the  true 
cause  is  something  more  radical,  more  fundamental. 
It  is  an  astonishing  manifestation  of  the  wise  economy 
wherewith  the  race  of  the  Covenant  husbands  its  vi- 
tality. Instead  of  exhausting  its  resources  in  the  pro- 
duction of  genius,  it  prefers  to  consummate  itself 
more  frugally  in  brilliant  mediocrity.  It  could  only 
be  by  the  exercise  of  millennial  effort  that  nature  cre- 
ated a  fixed  star;  her  meteors  and  nebulae  are  but  the 
pastime  of  her  idle  moments.  The  spirit  of  the  race, 
feeling  that,  unlike  Nature's,  its  energies  were  finite, 
could  not  afford  to  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  fixed  stars ; 
it  remembered  that  there  was  an  interminable  line  of 
posterity  to  provide  for,  and  that  the  penalty  of  over- 
exertion was  ultimate  degeneracy  and  effeteness." 

He  paused  and  looked  at  Leuw,  who  smiled  back  at 
him  as  he  said: 

"  Your  theory  is  attractive,  like  all  things  that  ap- 
peal to  the  fancy  rather  than  to  the  understanding." 

"  Fancy  is  instinct,  and  understanding  is  second 
thought;  the  former  is  more  often  correct  than  the  lat- 
ter," replied  Phil  dogmatically.     "  But,  however  that 


464  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

may  be,  it  will  not  prevent  me  from  following  my 
theory  into  its  most  important  side  issue.  We  have 
never  appreciated  how  beneficially  this  economy  of  ca- 
pacity has  reacted  on  our  conditions  of  life  through 
every  period  since  our  dispersion.  We  might  almost 
call  it  our  good  angel.  What  if  we  had  possessed 
more  fixed  stars — more  geniuses?  We  should  have 
added  fuel  to  the  blaze  of  odium  which  was  scorching 
us.  Had  more  of  our  heads  touched  the  clouds,  we 
should  only  have  elicited  the  lightning  more  fre- 
quently. Our  greatest  danger,  perhaps,  has  been  our 
pre-eminence;  we  have  been  constantly  too  much  in 
the  world's  forefront.  It  has  brought  us  a  grudged  and 
doled-out  glory,  but  it  has  brought  us  no  happiness. 
Let  us  lay  the  moral  of  it  to  heart  and  that  in  its 
widest  application.  Let  us  see  what  a  change  of 
policy  will  do  for  us.  Suppose  we  cultivate  a  habit  of 
self-effacement.  Not  the  self-effacement  implied  in  an 
absorption  into  our  surroundings — our  case  is  not  so 
desperate  that  we  must  resort  to  racial  suicide;  neither 
that,  nor  a  skulking  obscurity,  which  might  be  con- 
strued into  a  shirking  of  the  duties  that  must  come  to 
us  in  the  natural  order  of  things.  But  there  surely 
must  be  much  virtue  in  a  dignified,  self-contained, 
self-contented  aloofness.  We  may  find  it  difficult  to 
accustom  ourselves  to  it,  but  what  should  help  us  is 
our  belief  that  we  are  yet  to  be  the  protagonists  on  the 
spiritual  stage  of  the  world;  and  meantime  let  us 
quietly  make  ourselves  word-  and  heart-perfect  in  our 
parts." 

Leuw  listened  eagerly;  where  had  he  heard  this  be- 
fore? Ah,  he  recollected.  He  had  had  the  gist  of  it 
from    Yellow    Joe    the    other    evening.      His    nerves 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  465 

tingled.  So  the  thoughts  of  the  broken-down  drudge 
and  the  finished  man  of  culture  ran  in  one  and  the 
same  channel.  They  were,  indeed,  brothers,  the  peo- 
ple of  the  Covenant.  He  rose  and  laid  his  hand  on 
Phil's  shoulder. 

"  Phil,  we  must  give  that  first  place  in  our  curricu- 
lum," he  said. 

"  No,"  replied  Phil  instantly,  "  the  first  place  must 
belong  to  the  old,  old  stock  maxim  of  the  common  or 
garden  moralist,  the  supremacy  of  duty  over  self.  I 
shall  teach  that  myself;  I  happen  to  know  the  subject 
rather  well." 

Leuw  looked  at  him  in  unspoken  wonder,  but  Phil 
bore  the  scrutiny  without  a  tremor.  Leuw's  voice  was 
not  very  steady  as  he  said: 

"  I  hope  you  will  take  no  offense — but  perhaps  there 
is  a  duty  which,  to  my  knowledge  at  least,  you  have 
not  yet  fulfilled." 

"And  that  is?" 

"  Dulcie.  You  have  a  great  opportunity  of  paying 
off  to  her  what  you  owe  to  her  mother.  I  know  her 
uncle  is  providing  for  her,  but  probably  she  would  pre- 
fer being  dependent  on  one  whose  support  she  could 
claim  as  a  matter  of  right.  This  " — he  pointed  to  the 
open  cheque — "  is  still  at  your  disposal.  You  need 
only  make  it  serve  you  till  you  have  established  the 
practice  which,  with  your  connection,  ought  not  to 
take  you  long.     Don't  think  me  officious." 

"I  am  to  ask  her  to  marry  me?"  exclaimed  Phil, 
nearly  off  his  feet  with  surprise.  "  What  makes  you 
say  that?" 

"  You  talked  of  duty,"  replied  Leuw  dully. 

Phil  smiled — a  wan  smile.     "  Thank  you,  Leuw,  for 
30 


466  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT 

being  jealous  of  my  honor.     But  I   can  assure  you 
that  it  is  not  involved  here." 

'  Why  not?"  asked  Leuw,  though  he  felt  the  inept- 
ness  of  the  question. 

"  For  the  simplest  reason  in  the  world,  she  does  not 
expect  it  of  me." 

'There  is  some  one  else?"  exclaimed  Leuw. 

"  Yes,  there  is.     There  is.  .  .  ." 

"  You,"  Phil  had  been  about  to  say,  but  he  stopped 
short.  He  no  longer  owned  the  secret;  he  had  no 
right  to  it.  Effie  had  taken  it  back  with  everything 
else,  her  love,  his  happiness;  he  gulped  down  a  silent 
sob. 

Leuw  had  struggled  for,  and  had  obtained,  mastery 
over  himself.  So  he  had  come  too  late  after  all.  His 
doubts,  his  hopes,  his  self-delusions  had  come  to  a 
tame  and  ignominious  end.  He- ought  to-have  known 
it,  known  it  the  moment  Phil  returned  to  his  alle- 
giance. That  was  a  miracle,  and  no  man  dared  ex- 
pect that  his  life  had  room  for  more  than  one  such. 
Well,  then,  he  would  make  the  most  of  the  one  that 
had  been  vouchsafed  to  him;  he  would  hug  it  to  him- 
self tightly,  nurse  it  tenderly;  it  had  to  act  as  deputy  to 
him  for  everything  else  life  had  henceforth  to  offer. 

He  gripped  his  brother's  hand  till  the  latter  winced; 
but  it  was  nothing  to  the  grip  that  held  his  own  soul 
as  he  said: 

!     "  So,  then,  Phil,  there  is  nothing  but  you  and  me — 
and  the  Scheme." 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

"  It's  quite  a  month  since  he  was  here  last,  and  he 
used  to  call  at  least  once  a  week,"  Mrs.  Duveen  was 
saying,  knitting  her  brows.  '  I  wonder  if  we  have 
done  anything  to  offend  him." 

You  are  an  obstinate  woman,"  replied  Mr.  Alex- 
ander rudely.  "  Pray,  why  shouldn't  you  take  his 
word?  I  told  you  I  met  him  some  days  ago,  and  he 
told  me  he  was  extremely  busy.  You  know  that  he 
and  Phil  are  going  to  start  the  Institute  very  shortly 
in  temporary  premises,  and  I  can  well  understand  that 
that  makes  heavy  claims  on  his  time." 

'  I  mentioned  the  chance  of  his  being  offended,  be- 
cause you  said  that,  when  you  taxed  him  with  staying 
away  so  long,  he  appeared  awkward  and  ill  at  ease," 
continued  Mrs.  Duveen.  "  Very  possibly  he  was  hav- 
ing something  at  the  back  of  his  mind.  .  .  ." 

'  So  has  every  hawker;  much  more  so  a  man  who 
keeps  twenty  clerks  going,"  interrupted  Mr.  Alex- 
ander dryly.  '  Rose,  I  wish  you  wouldn't  be  so  con- 
ceited as  to  think  that  because  a  man  doesn't  over- 
run you,  you  have  given  him  a  whole  bundle  of  griev- 
ances to  carry  about.  You  don't  understand  these 
things.  When  a  man  says  he's  busy,  it  doesn't  mean 
he  is  keeping  his  nose  to  the  grindstone  all  day  and 
all  night;  it  means  he  hasn't  an  ounce  of  energy  left 
to  take  him  to  or  through  anything  else." 

"  Still,' an  hour  once  in  a  way,"  persisted  Mrs.  Du- 
veen. Then  her  voice  dropped.  "  Bram,  perhaps  he 
does  not  feel  quite  in  his  element  here  any  more." 


468  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

"  I  don't  understand  exactly  what  you  mean,  Rose." 

"  Well,  when  a  young  man  has  been  living  for  eight 
years  in  a  wilderness,  and  comes  back  to  the  tempta- 
tions of  a  place  like  London  .  .  ." 

Mr.  Alexander  leaned  forward,  and  assuming  a 
mysterious  look,  whispered  to  her:  "  You  have  hit 
the  nail  on  the  head,  Rose;  he  is  going  to  the. bad  as 
fast  as  the  devil  has  time  to  drive  him." 

"  Oh,  Bram,  it  isn't  really  true?  " 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  my  dear;  I  am  afraid  I  startled 
you  rather  badly,"  returned  Mr.  Alexander,  laughing 
penitently.  "  But  you  know  you  really  deserved  some 
punishment.  What  made  you  suggest  anything  so 
absurd?  You  have  seen  enough  of  Leuw  Lipcott 
to  feel  sure  that  he  would  not  go  off  his  balance  what- 
ever the  provocation.  It  distresses  me  to  see  you 
commit  such  errors  of  judgment  at  your  time  of  life." 

"  I  am  very  glad  it  was  an  error,"  said  Mrs.  Du- 
veen,  with  evident  relief.  "  It  was  because  I  had  got 
to  like  him  so  much  that  it  gave  me  such  a  shock;  and 
then  I  was  thinking  of  his  mother.  Still,  you  will  per- 
haps admit  that  the  young  men  nowadays  are  not 
exactly  plain  sailing.  I  fancied  I  had  made  a  pretty 
close  study  of  Phil,  but  I  wish  I  knew  what  construc- 
tion to  put  on  him  of  late,"  she  added  suppressing  a 
sigh. 

'  He  has  been  a  little  mysterious — there's  no  deny- 
ing it,"  said  Mr.  Alexander,  very  soberly.  "  Of 
course,  he  has  tried  to  disguise  it  as  well  as  he  could, 
but  one  can't  get  away  from  the  fact  that  he  has  taken 
to  paying  us  duty  calls,  Rose.  He  doesn't  seem  at 
home  here — nor  anywhere  else  either,  for  the  matter 
of  that.  He  has  got  the  look  of  a  man  who  finds  the 
world  a  very  narrow  place  to  be  in." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  469 

"  I  am  certain  it  is  Effie,"  rejoined  Mrs.  Duveen. 
"  You  remember  what  I  told  you  about  the  two  some 
weeks  ago." 

4k  Well,  then,  why  doesn't  he  run  down  to  East- 
bourne to  see  her  instead  of  mooning  about  here  in 
this  absurd  fashion?" 

"  That  is  what  puzzles  me  so  much,  Bram.  There 
seemed  to  be  some  fanciful  arrangement  about  not 
making  the  engagement  public  for  some  days.  And 
then  came  that  bank  affair  which,  although  I  tried 
hard  not  to  show  it,  left  me  for  the  time  being  unfit  to 
deal  with  anything  but  the  most  elementary  facts  of 
life.  It  was  only  after  Effie  had  taken  her  mother  to 
the  seaside  that  it  suddenly  came  home  to  me  there 
had  been  no  definite  announcement." 

4  I  certainly  have  heard  nothing  official  about  it," 
said  Mr.  Alexander,  shaking  his  head  grimly.  4  But 
I  don't  see  the  point  of  your  standing  on  ceremony 
like  that.     Why  didn't  you  ask  Phil  right  out?  " 

The  mere  fact  of  my  having  to  ask  was  proof  that 
he  had  nothing  to  tell,  or  that  he  did  not  want  to ;  and 
to  tax  him  would  have  embarrassed  me  much  more 
than  him." 

'  A  very  sensible  explanation,"  nodded  Mr.  Alex- 
ander; "  I  wish  you  would  always  be  so  careful  about 
your  feelings.  Still,  that  does  not  help  us  over  the 
stile.  Perhaps,  though,  there  may  be  a  chance  of 
finding  out  from  Efifie  herself.  I  understand  she  will 
be  back  to-morrow  or  the  day  after." 

'  I  shouldn't  like  to  try  it,"  said  Mrs.  Duveen 
hastily;  "it  would  be  like  striking  matches  to  find 
your  way  in  a  powder  magazine.  The  only  plan,  I  am 
afraid,  is  to  keep  quiet  and  watch  developments.  But 
it  is  very  disagreeable  all  the  same." 


470  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  Most  awkwardly  disagreeable,"  corroborated  her 
brother. 

And  then  he  followed  Mrs.  Duveen's  example,  and 
made  a  close  investigation  of  the  pattern  of  the  car- 
pet.    After  a  full  minute's  silence  he  continued: 

"  And  now  that  we  have  got  each  other  into  such  a 
magnificent  moping  fit,  we  may  as  well  make  the  most 
of  our  opportunity.  Rose,  Dulcie  is  going  distinctly 
off  color/' 

"What,  has  it  struck  you  too?"  came  her  anxious 
query. 

"  H'm.  It  appears,  then,  we  have  each  been  wait- 
ing for  the  other  to  mention  it,"  Mr.  Alexander  replied 
fiercely.  "  Rose,  we  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  our- 
selves— no,  we  oughtn't;  it  will  only  waste  more  time. 
We  must  take  instant  action  to  make  up  for  our  gross 
and  culpable  negligence." 

"  By  all  means.  I  shall  take  her  to  see  Dr.  Black 
to-morrow." 

"  You  will  do  nothing  of  the  sort.  We  are  not 
going  to  frighten  her  into  fancying  there  is  something 
the  matter  with  her.  There  isn't;  take  my  word  for 
it,  although  I  haven't  a  dozen  letters  after  my  name. 
A  little  change,  a  little  lifting  out  of  the  groove  is  all 
she  wants;  and  what's  more,  she  is  going  to  have  it." 

"  You  mean,  Bram  .  .  ." 

"  I  mean  we'll  go  aroaming  for  six  months  or  so. 
Do  you  think  she  will  object?  " 

*  I  don't  know.  She  won't  quite  like  the  idea  of 
leaving  her  Girls'  Club  and  the  '  Happy  Evenings  ' 
so  long." 

"Won't  she?"  asked  Mr.  Alexander,  bristling. 
"  We'll  see  about  that.     Once  we  have  got  her  under 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  471 

weigh  she  is  at  our  mercy.  You  see,  I  am  not  con- 
sulting your  pleasure  in  the  matter  at  all,  because  you 
will  have  to  come  along  anyhow.  We'll  get  it  over 
at  once.     Where  is  she?  " 

"  Upstairs.  I  shall  send  for  her/'  said  Mrs.  Duveen 
readily. 

'  I  notice  she  always  has  to  be  sent  for  now," 
grumbled  her  brother,  continuing  in  the  strain  till 
Dulcie  appeared  on  the  scene. 

It  was  patent  at  a  glance  that  the  solicitude  of  the 
two  older  people  was  not  altogether  without  founda- 
tion. Dulcie's  eyes  looked  heavy,  and  the  outline  of 
her  face  showed  a  distinct  approach  to  angles.  Her 
manner,  too,  had  undergone  a  change;  it  had  lost  its 
old  spontaneous  vivacity,  and  the  tutored  alertness 
which  had  taken  its  place  was  a  poor  substitute. 

You  wanted  me,"  she  said,  her  glance  roving 
uncertainly  from  her  mother  to  her  uncle,  and  back 
again.  '  Now,  please,  Uncle  Bram — no  lectures;  you 
look  like  it,"  she  added,  smiling  at  him  feebly. 

'Oh,  dear,  no,"  replied  the  latter  hastily;  "  it's 
something  else  altogether,  though  your  expecting  a 
scolding  is  strong  evidence  of  a  guilty  conscience. 
We  only  want  to  ask  you  to  be  good  enough  to  pack 
up  your  trunks  and  hold  yourself  ready  for  march- 
ing orders.  You  see,"  he  continued,  forestalling  her 
enquiry,  ■"  I  have  always  understood  that  there  are  a 
few  things  worth  looking  at  outside  this  estimable 
country  of  ours,  and  I  have  at  last  made  up  my  mind 
to  go  and  see  for  myself.  Besides,  I  really  want  a 
decent  holiday.  So  does  your  mother;  she  has  just 
confessed  to  me  that  a  recent  disagreeable  event  has 
had  considerably  more  effect  on  her  nerves  than  either 


472  SONS   OF  THE   COVENANT: 

of  us  guessed.  Of  course,  you  yourself  are  right  as 
a  trivet,  but  I  know  you  won't  be  so  unkind  as  to  let 
us  two  oldsters  maunder  along  deaf  and  dumb  through 
the   Continental   Babel." 

"  I  shall  come,  if  you  want  me  to;  when  do  we 
start?"  asked  Dulcie. 

Mr.  Alexander  collapsed.  Under  cover  of  his  spe- 
cious misrepresentations,  he  was  girding  up  his  loins 
for  a  tough  tussle.  But  this  unlooked-for  evaporating 
of  the  opposition  gave  him  an  unpleasant  sensation  of 
being  foiled  and  fooled — so  much  so  that  he  nearly  be- 
trayed the  true  state  of  things  as,  ignoring  her  ques- 
tion, he  growled  at  his  niece: 

"  You  don't  quite  seem  transported  with  delight  at 
the  idea!  " 

"  I  confess,  I  am  not  particularly  keen  on  it  at 
present,  but,  as  they  say,  the  appetite  comes  in  eating, " 
replied  Dulcie  with  a  half-hearted  smile. 

"  It  will  only  be  the  worse  for  you  if  it  doesn't," 
said  Mr.  Alexander  formidably.  <l  Well,  Rose,  when 
can  you  be  ready — to-morrow,  or  the  day  after?' 

"  What  are  you  thinking  of,  Bram?"  remonstrated 
Mrs.  Duveen  indignantly,  "  You  must  give  us  a  week 
at  least." 

Mr.  Alexander  chafed  at  the  delay,  and  said  so. 
Mrs.  Duveen  insisted,  and  the  discussion  became 
tolerably  animated.  But  despite  appeals  from  both 
sides,  Dulcie  refused  to  become  entangled  in  the  alter- 
cation. It  was  only  when  she  grew  conscious  how 
strange  her  indifference  must  appear  that  she  inter- 
fered at  all. 

'  Well,  you  can  tell  me  afterwards  what  decision 
you  have  come  to;  in  any  case,  I  shall  only  have  a  few 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  473 

days  to  arrange  for  somebody  to  look  after  the  Club, 
and  I  must  write  at  once." 

"  Oh,  by  the  way,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Duveen,  as 
Dulcie  was  leaving  the  room,  44  while  you  are  writing, 
you  may  as  well  drop  a  note  to  as  many  of  our  friends 
as  you  can  to  tell  them  we  are  leaving.  We  shan't 
have  any  time  for  4  p.  p.  c.'  visits.  There  is  one  especi- 
ally I  don't  .want  you  to  forget — Phil's  brother." 

"  Your  mother  has  got  an  idea  into  her  head  that 
we  have  somehow  given  offense  to  him,"  explained 
Mr.  Alexander.  "  Do  you  happen  to  be  able  to  ac- 
count for  his  long  absence?" 

Dulcie  stared  at  him  wide-eyed,  as  though  fright- 
ened, and  then  breathing  a  "  No  v  went  slowly  out. 
Arrived  at  her  room  she  told  herself  that  the  rea- 
son why  Uncle  Bram's  question  had  taken  her  aback 
was  because  it  was  the  one  she  had  asked  herself  per- 
sistently for  the  past  three  weeks;  and  she  feared  that 
with  those  keen,  shrewd  eyes  of  his  he  had  read  it  in 
her  face.  That  would  be,  indeed,  terrible.  She  did  not 
mind  wrestling  with  her  perplexity  in  solitude  and 
silence,  but  to  know  somebody  at  the  peephole, 
though  that  somebody  be  her  nearest  and  dearest, 
would  rob  her  of  all  her  strength ;  and  what  would 
happen  then  she  could  not  tell,  and  the  mystery  of  it 
terrified  her. 

And  now,  once  more,  and  for  the  hundredth  time — 
why  did  he  not  come?  For  the  hundredth  time  also 
she  passed  in  review  the  incidents  of  their  last  meet- 
ing to  see  if  it  contained  anything  whereat  he  might 
reasonably  have  taken  umbrage ;  and  for  the  hundredth 
time  she  had  to  declare  herself  guiltless.  On  the  con- 
trary, as  far  as  she  could  remember,  it  had  seemed  the 


474  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

beginning  of  a  finer  understanding  between  them,  a 
subtler  sympathy,  which  made  itself  felt  not  in  what 
they  said,  but  in  what  they  left  unsaid.  And  then 
this  summary,  inexplicable  halt,  just  at  the  moment 
when  a  few  more  steps  seemed  all  that  was  necessary 
to  .  .  .  That,  indeed,  was  the  only  possible  interpreta- 
tion which  had  suggested  itself  to  her:  he  had  noticed 
he  was  going  too  far,  and  he  had  pulled  himself  up 
in  time.  But  the  next  instant  she  recoiled  at  the 
idea  of  setting  him  down  for  a  futile,  irresponsible 
trifler.  No,  far  sooner  she  would  take  the  blame  on 
herself.  It  was  she  who  had  mistaken  the  situation, 
and  had  put  the  wrong  value  on  his  visits.  Her  over- 
tures it  had  been  which  had  led  to  their  compact  of 
mutual  confidence.  He  had  met  her  half-considered 
advances  with  good-humored  complacence,  but  had 
reserved  himself  the  choice  of  continuing  or  growing 
tired  as  he  pleased.  Evidently  he  had  chosen  the  lat- 
ter, and  now — and  now  she  was  paying  the  penalty  of 
her  imprudence.  It  was  a  heavy  penalty.  She  recol- 
lected how  she  had  consulted  Efifie,  whom  she  had 
deemed  wise  in  the  ways  of  love ;  if  she  had  waited  but 
a  little  longer,  there  would  have  been  no  need  for  her 
to  seek  another's  counsel  and  pay  in  return  an  ex- 
travagant fee — the  confession  of  her  secret.  For  by 
now  she  had  acquired  very  great  wisdom  of  her  own, 
and  knew  the  meaning  of  the  strange  antics  which 
her  heart  was  playing.  She  knew  who  and  what  was 
responsible  for  her  restlessness  and  discontent,  for 
the  loneliness  and  sense  of  void,  which  seemed  to 
have  become  her  inalienable  portion.  A  huge  gap 
divided  her  from  the  affairs  of  life,  from  the  things 
that  were  most  desirable.     If  she  had  at  all  lacked 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  475 

proof,  she  had  received  it  just  now,  when  she  had 
listened  with  callous  apathy  to  the  offer  of  gratifying 
the  ardent  wish  of  so  many  years — of  seeing  with  her 
own  eyes  the  manifold  wonders  of  distant  lands.  She 
argued  her  own  utter  nervelessness  in  that  she  was  too 
unstrung  merely  to  feign  the  gladness  she  did  not  feel. 
Well,  though  she  could  not  make  of  her  travels  a  joy 
for  their  own  sake,  she  must  see  that  they  should  at 
least  not  go  altogether  purposeless.  They  should  be 
to  her  the  quest  after  the  peace  of  mind  she  had  lost; 
they  should  be  a  tonic,  stringing  tight  the  lax  sinews 
of  her  soul,  so  that  when  she  came  back  she  should  be 
ready  to  take  up  her  life  anew — a  stronger,  more 
forceful,  more  valuable  life,  such  as  can  only  be  lived 
by  those  who  have  purged  themselves  of  the  great  be- 
setting weakness,  which,  more  than  the  sum  total  of 
all  its  other  flaws,  makes  humanity  the  slave  and 
knave  of  circumstances. 

She  would  have  preferred  not  to  see  Leuw  again 
before  her  departure  from  London;  but  for  obvious 
reasons  she  could  not  refuse  to  obey  her  mother's 
injunction.  And  on  the  other  hand,  perhaps,  it  was 
better  she  should  not  shun  this  final  trial.  It  was  just 
as  well  that  she  should  take  accurate  measure  of  the 
hold  he  had  gained  on  her,  and  so  impress  on  herself 
indelibly  the  necessity  of  sterilizing  his  influence  be- 
fore she  would  step  again  into  the  sphere  of  its  scope. 
And  besides,  another  pang  or  two — what  did  it  mat- 
ter? And  she  sat  down  to  pen  the  note  with  a  self- 
possession  which  tricked  her  into  an  exultant  belief 
that  the  crisis  lay  already  behind  her.  But  presently 
she  knew  better,  for  she  had  almost  lost  count  of  the 
number  of  drafts  she  had  made,  before  she  was  satis- 


476  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

fied  that  neither  wording  nor  penmanship  gave  token 
that  they  had  cost  her  a  single  tremor  of  heart  or 
hand. 

And,  indeed,  when  the  letter  reached  Leuw  the  next 
day,  he  saw  in  it  nothing  but  a  politely  worded,  neatly 
written  intimation  that  Mrs.  Duveen  would  be  glad 
if  he  would  take  an  opportunity  within  the  next  few 
days  of  coming  to  wish  them  God-speed  on  their  ex- 
pedition. The  writer  of  the  note  said  nothing  as  to 
whether  she  endorsed  the  invitation;  though  Leuw 
perused  it  at  least  a  dozen  times,  there  was  not  a  syl- 
lable which  might  even  distantly  be  construed  into 
such  an  endorsement.  Finally,  as  though  to  set  the 
seal  on  his  ill  success,  he  called  himself  a  fool  for  his 
pains.  But  he  did  not  get  rid  of  his  annoyance  with 
that.  It  increased  as  he  harked  back  to  his  receipt  of 
the  missive,  and  he  remembered  how  the  first  sight 
of  the  handwriting  on  the  envelope  had  sent  the  blood 
furiously  to  his  head,  only  to  set  him  presently  shiver- 
ing as  though  with  ague.  And  that  after  weeks — at 
least  so  the  world  reckoned  it — of  laboriously  nursed 
indifference  to  everything  but  the  most  immediate 
facts  of  life  and  an  over-ears  immersion  in  the  whirl- 
pool of  the  day's  bustle  and  business.  Just  one  little 
touch,  and  here  he  was  astir  again  to  the  insidious 
memories  to  which  he  was  beginning  to  think  himself 
deaf  and  blind  and  blunt;  just  one  faint  echo,  and  the 
old  undertone  of  his  soul,  which  he  had  done  his  best 
to  tread,  frighten,  strangle  into  silence,  boomed  out 
again  loud  in  full, sonorous  responsiveness. 

He  leaned  back  in  his  chair,  staring  before  him  in 
sullen  helplessness.  No  doubt  he  was  a  clever  man 
of  business,  but  he  was  a  miserable  bungler  so  far  as 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  477 

the  economy  of  his  heart  was  concerned.  He  had 
made  a  decided  failure  of  that.  All  these  years  he 
had  heaped  and  hoarded  his  love,  refusing  to  expend 
a  single  grain  of  it,  because  he  had  hoped  one  day  to 
bestow  it  where  any  man  might  have  been  proud  to 
bestow  it.  And  now,  what  was  he  going  to  do  with 
it,  with  the  dead  weight,  the  refuse,  unmarketable 
stock,  to  which  it  had  turned  and  which  was  pressing 
him  to  earth?  But  no;  he  must  not  talk  like  that. 
It  was  rank  irreverence  against  the  idol  he  had 
reared  on  a  pedestal  so  high  that  at  times  he  felt 
doubtful  where  his  earthly  creed  ended  and  his  di- 
vine belief  began.  And  that  being  so,  it  was  impos- 
sible that  his  deal  should  be  altogether  bad.  There 
must  be  some  virtue  in  it  after  all.  Probably  it  re- 
quired only  a  little  wise  manipulation  to  convert  what 
at  first  appeared  to  him  an  irredeemable  loss  into  a 
considerable  profit.  Well,  he  would  try.  Because  a 
thing  was  not  a  vaulting  board,  he  need  not  make  of 
it  a  millstone;  and  the  love  he  bore  Dulcie,  and  always 
would  bear  her,  was  yet  to  take  upon  itself  its  rightful 
function  as  the  mainspring  of  his  life.  He  owed  it  to 
his  self-respect  not  to  be  insincere  to  himself;  and  yet, 
what  had  become  of  his  resolution  that  he  would  be 
satisfied  with  her  friendship,  should — should  other 
things  fail?  In  the  light  of  his  conduct  during  the 
past  month  it  must  seem  nothing  short  of  a  piece  of 
puerile  bravado.  He  knew  he  could  count  on  her 
friendship,  however  much  her  heart  might  belong  to 
the  "  some  one  else."  He  would  recoup  himself  with 
that.  He  would  make  it  a  strong  factor  for  good,  an 
impetus  to  tenser  earnestness  and  greater  endeavor — 
it  should  become  the  censor,  nay,  the  guardian  of  his 


478  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

every  word  and  thought  and  act.  So  he  would  re- 
habilitate his  credit  with  himself.  The  letter  he  had 
just  received  had,  indeed,  come  opportunely;  a  little 
later,  and  it  might  have  found  him  too  perverse  to 
listen  to  the  pleadings  of  his  higher  interests. 

It  was  in  this  spirit  of  recantation  that  he  made  his 
call  on  Mrs.  Duveen  that  same  evening,  soon  after 
his  office  hours,  having  vainly  urged  Phil  to  accom- 
pany him.  Phil's  excuse  was  a  headache;  Leuw  re- 
marked to  himself  that  Phil  had  of  late  become 
strangely  subject  to  headaches.  Probably  it  was  the 
reaction  after  the  hard  work  he  had  gone  through  pre- 
vious to  his  examination. 

As  Leuw  entered  the  sitting-room,  he  found  there 
nobody  but  Mrs.  Duveen.  She  rose  to  meet  him 
smilingly. 

"  Perhaps  you  think  your  prompt  response  will 
atone  for  your  long  desertion  of  us,"  she  said.  "  If 
you  do,  you  expect  from  us  a  simply  angelic  power  of 
forbearance/' 

He  stood  looking  at  her,  but  not  with  any  uncer- 
tainty what  to  reply.  It  would  be  more  than  despic- 
able to  prevaricate  to  this  sweet,  frank  soul,  which 
seemed  to  take  all  men  for  evangelists  and  all  life  for 
gospel. 

"  The  way  you  say  that  is  already  much  more  than 
I  could  expect,"  he  answered  her  quietly.  "  Apolo- 
gies would  be  a  poor  return  for  it.  So  here  is  the 
truth.  I  had  a  reason  for  staying  away.  Some  day, 
though  it  may  be  years  hence.  I  shall  tell  you  what 
it  was." 

"  That  is  charming  and  honest  of  you,"  she  rejoined 
pleasantly,  although  her  face  clouded  somewhat.    '  Are 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  479 

you  sure,  however,  that  this  same  reason  does  not 
apply  still?  ,? 

"  The  reason  still  applies,  but  it  has  lost  most  of  its 
force,"  was  his  guarded  reply. 

And  then  by  tacit  consent  the  subject  was  eschewed, 
and  the  conversation  fell  naturally  on  the  contem- 
plated tour  abroad.  Not  very  long  afterwards  Mr. 
Alexander  came  in,  made  a  jesting  reference  or  two 
to  Leuw's  re-appearance,  and,  in  accordance  with 
long-standing  custom,  enquired  immediately  for  Dul- 
cie.  Mrs.  Duveen  informed  him  that  Effie  had  wired 
that  afternoon  the  time  of  her  arrival,  and  that  Dulcie 
had  gone  to  the  station  to  meet  her. 

'  I  expect  her  in,  though,  every  moment;  I  sup- 
pose she  is  helping  Effie  to  unpack.  You  see,  she  has 
to  put  Effie  under  an  obligation;  we  shall  want  plenty 
of  help  next  week/'  added  Mrs.  Duveen,  with  a  smile 
at  Leuw,  which  the  latter  returned,  but  not  over-suc- 
cessfully.  "  By  the  way,  I  hope  she  will  persuade  the 
two  of  them  to  come  round  here  for  dinner." 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  Mrs.  Duveen's  hope  was 
gratified  by  the  appearance  of  Dulcie,  accompanied 
by  Mrs.  Elkin  and  Effie.  There  were  effusive  greet- 
ings between  the  older  people,  in  the  midst  of  which 
Dulcie  came  up  to  Leuw,  and  proffered  her  hand. 
Nothing  but  a  commonplace  salutation  passed  between 
them.  She  gave  no  spoken  hint  that  his  presence  was 
anything  out  of  the  ordinary  course  of  events,  or  that 
it  called  for  any  special  comment.  But  had  Leuw  not 
been  occupied  too  greatly  with  his  own  feelings,  he 
could  not  have  helped  noticing  that  on  the  face  of  it 
there  was  something  studied  in  this  indifference,  and 
that  at  the  very  least  it  could  be  construed  into  pique. 


480  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

As  it  was,  his  thoughts  chiefly  concentrated  them- 
selves on  wondering  whether  an  African  tan  of  eight 
years  standing  was  strong  enough  to  mask  his  sudden 
ebb  of  color.  Mr.  Alexander's  importunate  call  to 
table  rescued  them  from  what  threatened  to  be  an 
awkward  silence.  Leuw  saw  nothing  strange  in  it 
that  Dulcie  should  forestall  a  recurrence  of  the  pre- 
dicament by  giving  him  Mrs.  Elkin  for  neighbor. 
Why,  indeed,  should  she  discomfort  herself  by  direct- 
ing her  words  to  him,  when  doubtless  her  thoughts 
were  far  and  distant,  with  that  mysterious  "  some  one 
else?"  He  harped  almost  vindictively  on  the  phrase, 
forgetting  that  it  was  one  of  his  own  coining. 

However,  the  conversation  over,  dinner  showed  no 
trace  of  the  emotional  cross-currents  agitating  at 
least  two  components  of  the  little  gathering.  For  one 
thing,  there  was  no  lack  of  material.  Effie  was  fluent 
and  amusing  enough  in  her  account  of  their  East- 
bourne experiences.  She  seemed  to  have  recovered 
her  usual  high  spirits,  discounting  the  impression  only 
by  an  occasional  hardness  about  the  mouth,  which 
found  its  counterpart  in  some  harsh  and  bitter  speech. 
Mr.  Alexander  was  full  of  the  projected  tour,  and 
entered  with  great  gusto  into  the  details  of  his  ar- 
rangements, in  the  forethought  and  thoroughness  of 
which  he  evinced  evident  self-satisfaction.  And  Leuw, 
instead  of  feeling,  as  he  had  fully  expected,  that  he  was 
passing  through  an  ordeal,  found  himself  presently 
taking  an  intelligent  interest  in  the  proceedings,  and 
eventually  even  followed  them  with  a  sort  of  wary  en- 
joyment. It  was  only  when  his  eyes  lighted  on 
Dulcie  that  the  graver  issues  of  the  occasion  came 
upon  him,  and  made  him  wince  at  the  prospect  of 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  481 

bleak,  dreary  days  still  to  be  battled  through.  He  had 
so  far  not  made  up  his  mind  whether  he  should  ask 
Dulcie  in  so  many  words  for  what  he  required  of  her, 
or  whether  he  should  allow  her  to  guess  from  the 
mere  fact  of  his  presence  that  he  was  bent  on  resum- 
ing their  old  amicable  relations.  He  preferred  the 
latter;  the  former  alternative  was  so  much  more  dif- 
ficult. He  might  submit  his  request  clumsily,  and 
would  let  her  see  that  he  knew  more  about  the  affairs 
of  her  inmost  heart  than  he  had  a  right  to  know;  and 
by  making  her  angry,  he  might  foil  his  own  ends. 
Still  he  would  see  how  events  shaped ;  the  evening  was 
young  yet. 

Dinner  had  come  to  a  close,  but  Mr.  Alexander  was 
still  in  full  swing;  and  being  loath  to  interrupt  himself, 

he  asked  and  obtained  leave  for  himself  and  Leuw 
to  smoke  their  cigars  in  the  dining-room.  Effie's  at- 
tention, however,  seemed  to  have  become  exhausted, 
for  a  minute  or  two  later  she  slipped  away  over  to  the 
window,  drew  back  the  hangings  and  gazed  out. 

"  Dulcie,  come  here  and  look,"  she  called  presently. 

Dulcie  obeyed  readily,  and  almost  simultaneously 
Leuw  gave  way  to  the  impulse  which  lifted  him  up, 
and  followed  her. 

'  May  I  look,  too?  "  he  asked  with  jesting  humility. 

The  two  girls  silently  made  room  for  him  in  the 
window  niche.  It  was,  indeed,  a  sight  to  hold  the  eye 
and  the  tongue  captive.  The  grand,  spacious  garden 
lay  bathed  in  moonlight  down  to  its  uttermost  verge. 
Its  trees  and  hedgerows  stood  out  delicately  against 
a  background  of  silver;  they  had  doffed  the  air  of 
stubborn  sullenness  they  had  worn  all  the  winter,  and 
now  seemed  softening  back  into  the  joy  of  life  at  the 

31 


482  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

first  presage  of  the  spring.  Over  it  all  hung  a  gra- 
cious stillness,  a  penetrating  peace,  which  was  as  a 
message  of  good-will  and  reconciliation  to  Mother 
Earth  and  all  the  multitudinous  progeny  that  was  hers. 

Dulcie  was  the  first  to  speak,  but  she  did  it  in  a 
whisper: 

"  Oh,  I  can't  stand  here  just  looking  at  it — I  must 
feel  it.     Come,  Effie." 

"  I  should  like  to,  but  remember  I  have  had  four 
hours  of  train  to-day."  Then  with  a  quick  after- 
thought:   "  Perhaps  you,  Mr.  Lipcott  .  .    " 

1  I  was  just  about  to  offer  myself,"  interposed 
LeuwT,  trying  to  hide  his  eagerness  beneath  a  tone  of 
measured  courtesy. 

Dulcie  answered  him  with  a  swift  look  of  distrust. 

"  But  only  on  condition  that  you  make  yourself 
thoroughly  air-tight,"  he  went  on  with  a  smile.  ;  You 
see,  I  shall  be  responsible  for  you  to  your  mother." 

Mrs.  Duveen  readily  gave  her  assent,  only  adding 
her  own  admonition  to  Leuw's,  and  the  two  went  out 
into  the  hall,  where  Dulcie  wrapped  herself  up  se- 
curely, and  from  there  into  the  open. 

They  were  nearly  half-way  down  the  sidewalk  be- 
fore either  spoke. 

"  There  is  no  danger  of  our  damaging  the  chrys- 
anthemums to-night,"  said  Leuw,  half  aloud. 

"What,  do  you  remember  that?''  she  asked,  in 
pleased  surprise. 

"Certainly;  why  shouldn't  I?" 

"  It's  such  a  little  thing,  and  so  long  ago,"  she  ex- 
plained, not  without  some  confusion. 

"  Yes,  very  long  ago,"  he  confirmed  pensively. 

*  Would  you  like  to  change  back?  "  she  asked,  more 
lightly. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  483 

"  It  would  be  no  use  to  me.  I  think  I  was  as  old 
then  as  I  am  now." 

You  ought  to  be  glad  that  you  can  say  that.  If 
eight  years  made  no  difference  to  you,  it  means  you 
will  never  be  really  old." 

'  It  might  mean  that  I  was  never  really  young," 
was  his  retort. 

Yes,  probably  your  construction  is  the  right  one 
— at  least  you  ought  to  know  best.  And  to  tell  the 
truth,  you  always  did  give  me  the  impression  that  you 
were  born  with  your  world  ready-made.  You  seem 
to  have  accepted  the  people  and  things  that  entered 
into  it  afterwards  with  a  sort  of  silent  protest." 

His  breath  came  short  at  the  unconscious  irony  of 
her  words.  His  world  complete  and  fulfilled?  His 
world  was  a  void,  a  chaos,  into  which  he  was  dying  to 
drag  her  with  paeans  of  thanksgiving,  for  without  her 
it  would  never  know  the  blessings  of  light  and  order. 
And  he  dared  not  even  tell  her  so. 

'  Did  you  think  it  worth  your  while  to  make  such 
a  "close  study  of  me?"  he  asked  turning  on  her  sud- 
denly. 

'  But  I  didn't  make  a  study  of  you.  I  wasn't  so 
presumptuous.  What  I  said  just  now,  I  must  have 
learned  by  a  flash  of  inspiration.  And  now,  please, 
it's  your  turn." 

"My  turn?     For  what?" 

*  For  saying  something  nice  to  me.  I  made  out 
that  you  were  an  unfathomable  mystery,  everybody 
likes  to  be  told  that.  So  you  owe  me  a  compliment 
in  return.     Do  let  us  keep  up  the  game." 

He  paused.  Neither  the  manner  nor  the  matter 
of  her  remark  struck  him  pleasurably.     It  was  more 


484  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

than  mere  flippancy;  it  was — as  far  as  he  had  cog- 
nizance of  these  things — a  distinct  attempt  at  co- 
quetry. At  first  he  only  thought  how  inconsistent 
with  her  true  self  that  was;  but  then  it  came  home  to 
him  that,  knowing  what  he  knew,  he  ought  to  construe 
it  into  a  direct  offense  against  himself.  Perhaps  she 
was  only  practicing  on  him  for  the  benefit  of  the 
k  some  one  else."  And  his  displeased  surprise  veered 
round  to  downright  irritation. 

"  Well,  haven't  you  thought  of  anything  to  say 
yet?"  she  prompted  him  with  a  laugh. 

"  I  don't  think  the  game  is  worthy  of  you,"  he  re- 
plied brusquely. 

"  Why,  now  you  have  said  it  without  wanting  to," 
she  pointed  out  to  him,  essaying  to  repeat  her  laugh, 
but  getting  no  further  than  a  faint  echo  of  it.  "  How- 
ever, I  will  take  your  hint." 

Her  ready  deference  to  his  mood  made  him  instantly 
repentant. 

"  I  suppose  you  are  looking  forward  to  your  tour 
with  great  pleasure,"  he  said,  very  gently. 

"  It  must  be  very  pleasant  to  see  new  sights — you 
probably  can  speak  to  that  from  your  own  experi- 
ence," was  the  evasive  reply. 

'  And  you,  of  course,  will  have  the  additional  ad- 
vantage of  taking  your  family  circle  along  with  you, 
so  you  will  have  no  occasion  for  homesickness,"  he 
went  on  rapidly.  "  By  the  way,  will  there  be  anybody 
besides  the  three  of  you?  " 

"  No.  I  thought  you  understood  that,"  she  replied, 
not  without  some  surprise. 

"  I  mean,  perhaps  somebody  is  coming  to  join  you 
later  on  the  road." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  485 

Her  surprise  grew.  "  I  don't  know  who  would  take 
the  trouble.     Why,  what  makes  you  think  that?" 

"  I  really  don't  know,"  he  answered  in  confusion. 
"  I  had  an  idea  that  you  might  have  made  some  such 
arrangement,  especially  as  I  gather  that  your  tour 
might  be  a  rather  extended  one." 

He  walked  on  a  little  faster,  as  though  to  get  away 
from  the  sensation  of  shame  which  had  come  upon 
him  suddenly.  He  felt  like  a  man  who  has  narrowly 
escaped  being  detected  in  some  shabby  device.  Ever 
since  he  had  been  led  to  assume  that  she  was  lost  to 
him,  he  had  not  been  sensible  of  any  curiosity  as  to 
whose  great  good  fortune  it  had  been  to  have  found 
her.  Once  or  twice  he  had  in  an  idle  sort  of  wonder 
gone  through  the  list  of  the  men  whom  he  had  met  at 
the  house.  He  had  to  admit  that  there  was  not  a 
single  one  to  whom  Dulcie's  bearing — and  he  had 
watched  her  very  closely — had  been  anything  more 
than  either  coldly  courteous,  or  good-naturedly  toler- 
ant. Perhaps  he  had  missed  him  on  his  visits,  perhaps 
it  was  somebody  out  of  town — he  had  frequently  heard 
names  mentioned  in  terms  that  denoted  long-standing 
acquaintance — names,  which  to  him,  however,  were 
nothing  but  names.  They  had  concerned  him  but 
little  till  just  before,  when  the  jealous  impulse  seized 
him  mightily  if  momentarily,  and  drove  him,  as  it 
were,  into  laying  a  snare  for  her.  He  was  thankful 
he  had  failed;  the  failure  was  the  only  thing  to  re- 
deem him. 

"  This  is  the  spot,"  he  heard  her  say  the  next  in- 
stant. 

He  caught  her  meaning  in  a  flash.  "  Where  we 
became  castaways,  and  had  to  wait  for  relief,"  he  sup- 
plemented, quite  soberly. 


486  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

*k  In  a  way  it  ought  to  be  historic/'  she  said  with 
a  laugh  of  embarrassment. 

This  time  he  did  not  follow  her  so  readily.  '  Do 
you  mean  because  of  the  extract  from  ancient  history 
Phil  treated  us  to  at  the  time?" 

Her  mirth  became  more  genuine.  "  I  never 
thought  of  that.  No  " — her  voice  hung  with  grave 
and  sustained  emphasis  on  the  monosyllable — "  was 
it  not  here  that  we  vowed  eternal  friendship?' 

He  turned  on  her  with  eager  scrutiny.  What, 
more  flippancy,  more  .  .  .?  But  no,  she  was  serious, 
quite  serious.  He  could  be  absolutely  certain  of  it; 
the  moonlight  told  him  no  untruth. 

"  Yes,  we  did,  we  did,"  was  his  quick  reply. 

"  And  how — it  will  seem  a  strange  question  to  you 
— how  do  you  think  we  kept  our  vow?  " 

"  I  shall  only  speak  for  myself.  I  know  I  always 
have  kept  it,  and,  come  what  may,  always  shall  keep 
it." 

He  felt  cowed  and  yet  exhilarated-  at  the  coincidence 
which  played  so  strangely  into  his  hands. 

But  she  shook  her  head  slowly.  "  No,  I  can't 
agree  with  you — as  to  the  past,  at  any  rate  " — came 
from  her  deliberately.  "  Do  you  know,  Mr.  Lipcott, 
I  have  a  good  right  to  be  angry  with  you?  ,: 

"Angry  with  me?"  he  repeated. 

"  Yes,"  she  said.  "  During  the  first  few  weeks  after 
your  return,  at  the  time  when  we  really  came  into  each 
other's  cognizance,  you  led  me  to  believe  that  you 
considered  my  help,  however  indirect,  would  be  of 
some  avail  to  you.  And  then,  after  buoying  me  up 
with  the  hope,  after  fanning  my  aspirations  into  flame, 
you  change  your  mind.     Do  you  think  that  was  fair?  ' 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  487 

He  understood  her  at  once,  but  surprise  kept  him 
silent. 

'  I  felt  the  humiliation  of  it  deeply,"  she  went  on, 
more  animated.  tk  The  only  conclusion  I  could  draw 
was  that  you  did  not  think  me  fit  to  be  anything  more 
than  an  intelligent  listener  to  the  planning  of  the  work, 
who,  when  it  got  beyond  that,  was  to  be  set  aside  as  a 
mere  encumbrance.  If,  at  least,  you  had  told  me  so 
frankly,  it  would  have  been  less  galling  than  to  be  left 
to  find  it  out  for  myself — by  being  so  completely  ig- 
nored. I  am  aware,  from  purely  outside  sources, 
that  your  Scheme  will  come  into  operation  very 
shortly.  I  know  you  have  acquired  the  temporary 
premises  in  which  your  ^Institute  is  to  make  its  bow 
to  the  world,  and  that  you  have  nearly  completed  all 
your  final  arrangements.  But  of  the  inner  workings 
I  know  nothing.  I  tried  to  probe  Phil  whenever  I 
had  the  occasion.  His  answers  were  mere  make- 
shifts; the  upshot  of  them  was  a  kind  of  'Don't 
bother;  everything  will  be  all  right/  And  that  when 
I  thought  myself  entitled,  from  your  assurances,  to  be 
allowed  behind  the  scenes,  to  be  allowed  to  watch.  .  .  . 
But  there;  what  does  it  matter?  Please  say  you  don't 
think  my  remonstrances  unreasonable;  try  and  make 
allowances  for  me.  People  like  you,  whose  lives  day 
in,  day  out,  are  nothing  but  action,  and  again  action, 
can  hardly  understand  the — what  shall  I  call  it? — the 
work-hunger  of  those  condemned  to  comparative 
dronehood." 

He  was  still  wrestling  with  his  thoughts,  his  words; 
and  before  he  quite  knew  he  had  mastered  either,  he 
answered. 

"  Yes,  you  ought  to  be  angry.     I  broke  my  word, 


488  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

and  what  is  more,  I  did  it  consciously — I  knew  it  all 
the  time.  What  I  did  not  know,  what  I  never  came 
near  to  dreaming,  was  that  you  would  lay  it  to  heart 
a  hundredth  part  as  much  as  you  seem  to  have  done. 
But  I  shall  also  tell  you  this,  that  you  did  not  lose  by 
it  a  hundredth  part  of  what  I  did.  Beyond  that  I  can 
give  you  no  explanation." 

"  I  don't  require  any,  not  in  the  least,"  she  broke 
in  hastily;  "  I  shall  be  content  if,  having  acknowledged 
your — your  breach  of  faith,  you  will  do  your  best  to 
redeem  it.  I  do  so  much  want  to  have  my  share  in 
the  work.  I  am  afraid  that  if  I  don't  take  my  place 
before  the  start,  others  will  step  in,  and  there  will 
be  no  room  for  me.  That  is — I  admit  it  frankly — 
what  robs  our  intended  tour  of  half  its  pleasure  for 
me.  And  then  there  is  another  point — it  may  strike 
you  as  a  piece  of  feminine  vanity.  You  made  me  rise 
ever  so  high  in  my  own  estimation  when  you  told 
me  what  good  you  thought  it  possible  for  me  to 
achieve.  I  don't  want  to  think  that  you  had  gone 
back  on  that  opinion;  I  want  to — well,  to  rehabilitate 
myself.  And  the  only  way  you  can  do  that  is  to  give 
me  your  promise  of  the  place  you  once  said  I  could 
fill." 

"Then  you  really  care  what  I  think  of  you?'  he 
asked  eagerly. 

"  Will  you  promise? '  was  the  counter-question 
that  glanced  off  his  own. 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  manifestly  disappointed. 

1  But  don't  flatter  yourself  that  I  shall  take  your 

mere  word  for  it,  especially  as  you  are  making  the 

promise  under  pressure,"  she  continued  almost  gaily. 

'  This    spot " — they   were    still    standing   among   the 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY.  489 

chrysanthemums — "  is  propitious  for  making  com- 
pacts; at  least  we  have  already  made  one  here;  let  us 
make  our  second  here  as  well.  Don't  be  afraid;  I 
am  not  going  to  exact  from  you  a  heavy  guarantee. 
Only  this." 

Smilingly  she  held  out  her  hand  to  him.  He  took 
it  and  held  it,  second  after  second,  as  though  he  had 
absolutely  forgotten  to  let  it  go;  she  did  not  remind 
him.  So  they  stood,  looking  at  each  other  without 
a  word.  A  few  minutes  ago  the  distance  of  space  be- 
tween them  had  been  as  miles;  and  now  it  was 
dwindling  down  to  its  proper  span,  a  span  of  inches. 
All  at  once  the  grip  of  his  fingers  tightened  frantically 
on  hers;  the  inches  lessened.  And  presently  they 
were  close  together,  each  feeling  the  magnetic  current 
from  the  other's  heart,  and  gathering  into  themselves 
with  tingling  gladness  the  mutual  message  it  conveyed 
to  them.  That  was  all.  The  fence  and  foil  of  circum- 
stance, the  parry  of  cross-purposes  that  had  used 
them  so  cruelly,  it  all  availed  nothing.  Phil's 
Kismet  was  brilliantly  vindicated.  It  had  been 
destined,  and  they  had  found  each  other.  The  chrys- 
anthemums nodded  very  wisely  as  their  whisper  went 
round  among  them:  "  We  knew  it  all  along,  ever  since 
that  time,  eight  years  ago." 

1  I  have  so  many  things  to  say,  so  much  to  ask,  so 
much  to  wonder  at,"  he  breathed  into  her  ear. 

"  So  have  I,"  she  replied,  with  something  like  a 
sob;  "but  not  now.  We  have  plenty  of  time  before 
us." 

"Plenty  of  time?':  he  repeated  exultantly.  "Of 
course,  we  have;  my  life  is  only  just  beginning." 

"And  so  is  mine,"  she  added;  "but  still,  we  must 


490  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

not  forget  all  about  the  other  people  we  knew  before 
we  lived." 

"  Yes,  the  other  people.  Come,  we'll  go  and  tell 
them." 

And  so  they  went,  still  holding  each  other  by  the 
hand,  along  the  garden  walk,  up  the  terrace  steps, 
through  the  hall,  into  the  room — all  the  way  hand-in- 
hand,  like  two  playmate  children,  who,  after  their  lit- 
tle quarrel,  have  once  more  returned  to  good  accord. 

Mrs.  Duveen  and  Mrs.  Elkin  were  sitting  at  a  game 
of  cribbage,  with  Mr.  Alexander  close  by,  giving  both 
impartially  advice.  But  not  being  so  engrossed  as 
the  players,  he  was  the  first  to  look  up  as  the  two 
entered.     His  look  grew  to  a  stare. 

"  What  on  earth  have  you  young  ones  been  up  to? ' 
he  cried.     "  Look,  Rose!" 

But  Mrs.  Duveen  was  too  late,  for  the  next  instant 
Dulcie,  having  wound  herself  loose,  was  hiding  her 
face  on  her  mother's  shoulder.  Leuw  followed  more 
leisurely,  trying  to  bear  his  happiness  meekly. 

"  You  wanted  to  know  why  I  stayed  away  so  long," 
he  said,  catching  Mrs.  Duveen's  eagerly  questioning 
eyes;  "  here  is  the  reason;  it's  just  kissing  you.  May 
I  have  it  for  good — mother?  " 

"  I  am  so  glad,  so  glad,"  was  the  shape  her  consent 
took,  while  Mr.  Alexander,  with  greater  control  of  his 
speech,  blessed  himself  and  "  well-I-nevered  '  as  he 
had  never  done  in  his  life. 

"Where  is  Effie?"  asked  Dulcie,  lifting  her  head 
suddenly,  to  look  round. 

"  I  thought  she  went  out  to  join  you  in  the  garden," 
said  Mrs.  Elkin. 

"  I    must   go    and   find   her,"    said    Dulcie,    asking 


"And  happened  to  look  through  the  window  at  the 

wrong  time." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  491 

Leuw's   permission  with   a  glance;   "  she  will   never 
forgive  me  if  I  don't  .  .  ." 

And  with  that  she  was  out  in  the  hall  speeding  up 
the  stairs  to  her  own  room.  As  she  stepped  in,  Effie 
came  towards  her,  and  kissed  her  with  quiet  loving- 
ness  as  she  said: 

4  I  hope  you  will  be  very  happy,  Dulse,  dear." 

'  How  do  you  know?  "  gasped  the  latter. 
"  Don't  think  I  was  spying.  I  couldn't  stand  the 
talk  downstairs,  it  made  my  head  burst;  and  I  should 
break  your  piano  if  I  sat  down  to*  it.  So  I  came  up 
here,  and  happened  to  look  through  the  window  at  the 
wrong  time." 

There  was  a  pause.  "  Well,  Effie,  are  we  going  to 
be  sisters-in-law?  "  queried  Dulcie  finally. 

'No,  dear;  that  is  all  done  with,"  answered  Effie 
setting  her  lips'  tightly. 

'  But     why — why? "     insisted     Dulcie     miserably. 
'  How  much  longer  is  this  wretched  misunderstand- 
ing between  you  two  to  last?     Effie,  you  just  said  you 
hoped  I  would  be  happy.     How  can  you  expect  me 
to  be  when  you  put  me  on  the  rack  like  this?  " 

You  are  quite  right,"  said  Effie  pensively;  "  I  dare 
not  refuse  you  anything  to-night.  I  shall  tell  you 
what  there  is  to  tell ;  but  it  won't  make  you  happier." 

'  At  any  rate  I  shall  not  have  to  grope  in  the  dark 
any  longer;  and  that  will  be  something." 

You  are  wrong  about  the  misunderstanding,"  said 
Effie  resolutely;  "there  is  none — absolutely  none. 
Both  he  and  I  know  exactly  what  drove  us  apart;  we 
thought  and  fought  it  out  on  a  fair  field.  There  was 
his  parliamentary  career.  He  knew  how  I  had  set 
my  heart  on  it;  he  gave  it  up,  presumably  to  have  his 


492 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


hands  free  for  that  old  idiosyncrasy  of  his — the 
Scheme.  I  gave  him  his  choice,  and,  like  a  sensible 
man,  he  took  it.     That  is  all." 

"  Of  course,  he  gave  you  his  reasons,"  said  Dulcie 
quickly. 

Effie  shrugged  her  shoulders.  'He  wanted  to;  I 
would  not  listen." 

"  Would  not  listen?  Why  not?  That  is  the  least 
he  could  claim." 

"  It  seemed  to  me  impossible  he  could  have  any 
strong  enough.  Arid  then  I  was  afraid  he  would  talk 
me  over  with — with  plausibilities,  which  would  con- 
vince me  on  the  surface,  and  yet  leave  the  sting  of  my 
first  dissatisfaction  deep  down  in  my  heart." 

"  In  that  case,  you  were  certainly  wise,"  said 
Dulcie  speciously.  "  But  still,  I  thought  as  a  mere 
matter  of  curiosity.  .  .   ." 

"  I  would  have  given  half  my  life  to  know,"  inter- 
rupted Effie. 

"Shall  I  tell  you?" 

"  How  can  you  know?  "  asked  Effie  with  the  very 
faintest  tinge 'of  scorn. 

"  I  know — because  I  know  Phil,"  said  Dulcie  un- 
daunted. "  Do  you  remember  how  the  old  song  puts 
it:  'I  could  not  love  thee,  dear,  so  much,  loved  I  not 
honor  more ' !  That  will  give  you  the  keynote  to  his 
conduct.  When  it  came  to  a  tug  of  war  between  con- 
science and  love,  conscience  pulled  stronger,  but  the 
victory  was  really  with  love." 

Yes,  quite  so,"  came  bitterly  from  Effie;  "there 
you  have  it.  Honor,  conscience,  and  all  the  para- 
phernalia of  the  sophist." 

Dulcie    smiled  patiently.     "  Tell   me,    Effie,    would 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  493 

you  have  been  content  to  know  that  things  went  on 
smoothly  between  you,  only  because  Phil  did  not  have 
the  courage  to  acknowledge  himself  a  renegade? 
Would  it  not  have  made  you  feel  like  an  accomplice?  ' 

'  Renegade?  That  is  a  very  strong  word." 
"  It  is  the  word  he  used  himself.  Could  you  sug- 
gest any  other?  He  had  taken  on  himself  a  sacred 
obligation.  You  may  dub  it  an  idiosyncrasy,  but 
you  must  admit  he  has  a  right  to  his  own  view.  And 
you  should  not  have  stood  in  his  way  when  the  call 
came  to  him  to  redeem  himself.  I  can  understand 
your  setting  him  the  choice  as  a  test,  and  then  feeling 
glad  and  proud  that  his  decision  went  against  you. 
Doesn't  it  strike  you  he  has  done  what  not  one  man 
in  a  thousand  could  do?  " 

Yes,  but  I  can  put  several  constructions  on  that," 
returned  Effie  gloomily. 

1  Put  on  the  best,  then,"  begged  Dulcie.  "  Believe 
that  what  he  did  was  the  best  for  the  two  of  you.  He 
went  back  to  this  first  duty  of  his  with  his  eyes  wide 
open.  He  would  not  put  on  you  the  indignity  of  be- 
coming wife  to  a  man  who  had  turned  his  back  on  the 
great  principle  of  his  life;  and  as  for  himself — well, 
how  could  he  do  justice  to  your  love,  with  his  self- 
reproach  continually  taunting  him  into  secret  discon- 
tent?    Effie,  you  must  give  in." 

'  If  there  is  to  be  any  giving  in,  why  must  it  come 
from  me?  "  cried  Effie  with  a  last  effort  of  rebelling. 

'  So  as  to  convince  yourself  that  he  is  stronger 
than  you,"  replied  Dulcie  firmly.  "  Effie,  there  are 
millions  of  women  in  the  world  who  would  bless  their 
fate  for  the  privilege  of  being  able  to  yield,  for  know- 
ing that  the  man  they  are  coupled  to  is  not  a  reed  nor 


494 


SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 


a  weakling,  that  he  has  strength  enough  and  wisdom 
enough  for  the  two  of  them,  so  that  they  can  merge 
their  destiny  blindly,  confidently  in  his.  Effie,  you 
would  lose  half  your  faith  in  him,  if  you  found  it  was 
he  who  had  bridged  the  gulf  instead  of  you." 

Effie  looked  at  her  with  a  glance  which  Dulcie  felt 
going  through  and  through.     Then  Effie  said  slowly: 

"  Dulcie,  I  can  only  say  this — you  are  a  wonder. 
How  you  can  argue  like  that,  when  all  the  time  your 
heart  is  soaring  sky-high,  is  unearthly.  But  for  all 
that,  don't  flatter  yourself.  It  is  not  your  arguments 
that  tell  with  me;  it  is  yourself;  it  is  the  knowledge  of 
your  happiness,  and  the  knowledge  that  I  could  be  as 
happy — if  I  liked." 

"  If  you  can  be,  then  it  is  a  sin  that  you  are  not," 
replied  Dulcie  with  glowing  cheeks.  "  If  you  can  be, 
I  tell  you,  throw  everything  else  to  the  wind — your 
doubts,  your  pride,  your  chances  of  the  fame  you  as- 
pire to.     The  exchange  is  worth  it." 

"  You  dear,  passionate,  little  silly,"  cried  Effie, 
catching  her  in  her  arms ;  "  do  you  think  you  are  tell- 
ing me  news?  Why,  I  knew  all  that;  I  had  tasted  it, 
digested  it,  long  before  you  had  an  inkling  you  would 
ever  do  likewise.  But  I  am  grateful  to  you  for  all 
that.  I  wanted  somebody  to  make  me  the  pace;  I 
should  have  died  of  chagrin  and  jealousy  to  see  you 
so  happy,  while  I  .  .  ." 

Gently  she  pushed  Dulcie  from  her,  and  commenced 
to  fumble  in  the  folds  of  her  dress,  producing  from 
there  presently  a  neat  little  paper  scroll.  She  unrolled 
it  hastily,  and  without  another  glance  at  it.  deliberately 
tore  it  through  the  middle. 

"Oh,  what  is  that?"  cried  Dulcie  a  little  fright- 
ened. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  495 

'  Only  my  agreement  with  the  agent.  1  had  to 
carry  it  about  with  me  while  we  were  away.  Phil 
will  know  what  I  mean  when  he  sees  it  like  this. 
Quick,  an  envelope.  I  am  not  going  to  waste  another 
minute. " 

"  Don't  you  think  you  might  write  him  just  a  word 
besides?"  asked  Dulcie,  as  she  saw  Effie  proceeding 
to  fasten  it  up. 

Effie  looked  at  her  dubiously.  "  Ought  I?  "  she  re- 
flected aloud.  "Well,  ■  I  suppose  I  had  better.  You 
have  been  engineering  this  business  right  through, 
so  I  must  follow  your  advice." 

She  sat  down  and  scribbled  a  few  words. 

"  Stamp?  "  asked  Dulcie. 

*  No,  I  don't  think  I  shall  want  one,"  replied  Effie, 
putting  the  missive  into  her  pocket.  "  And  now 
please  come  down — there's  no  more  mischief  left  for 
you  to  do  up  here." 

Two  or  three  friends  had  dropped  in  during  their 
absence,  and  Dulcie  became  very  busy  gathering  in 
her  harvest  of  congratulations.  Leuw  stood  close  by 
her  side — a  smiling  Cerberus.  However,  he  did  not 
stay  very  late. 

'  I  want  to  go  and  tell  mother,"  he  whispered  to 
her. 

'  And  I  want  to  go  and  make  certain  it  isn't  a 
dream,"  she  whispered  back;  "but  to-morrow,  very 
early,  yes?  " 

c  To-morrow,  very  early,"  he  affirmed  solemnly. 

They  were  standing  in  the  hall,  when  Effie  came 
gliding  up  to  them. 

'I  beg  pardon  for  interrupting,"  she  said  meekly; 
"but  will  you  see  your  brother  yet  to-night?" 


496  SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  Yes,  I  intended  to  drop  in  on  him  for  a  moment," 
said  Leuw. 

"  Then  do  you  mind  giving  him  this?'  she  con- 
tinued, handing  him  the  envelope.  "  But  you  must 
not  forget — it  is  very  particular." 

"  Yes,  very  particular,"  testified  Dulcie. 

And  then,  on  EfnVs  withdrawal,  her  lips  shyly  but 
without  shrinking  testified  to  something  else. 

Leuw  stepped  out  into  the  night,  which  to  him  was 
transfigured  into  a  glamour  and  radiance  incompar- 
able to  the  brightest  sunrise  he  had  ever  known.  He 
hailed  an  opportunely  passing  cab,  with  a  shout  that 
gave  the  driver  some  trouble  in  bringing  his  horse  to 
a  standstill,  and  arrived  at  Rupert  Street  before  he  had 
felt  the  motion  of  the  wheels. 

The  streak  of  light  through  the  chinks  of  the  shutter 
told  him  that  Phil  was  in.  He  knocked  and  entered. 
Phil  rose  from  the  perusing  of  the  ponderous  law  vol- 
ume before  him,  and  faced  his  brother  with  a  look  of 
half-hearted  enquiry.  His  face  showed  pitiably  drawn 
and  haggard  beneath  the  lamplight. 

"  What  is  it,  Leuw? '  he  asked,  with  some  little 
show  of  interest.  *  You  haven't  come  here  for 
nothing." 

"  No,  I  haven't,"  acquiesced  Leuw,  successfully 
keeping  his  features  under  control.  "  I  came  to  tell 
you  of  an  important  discovery  I  made  to-night.  Phil, 
I  love  Dulcie." 

"Well?"  asked  Phil,  this  time  with  genuine  eager- 
ness. 

"  A  month  ago  you  told  me  there  was  some  one 
else." 

"  That  need  not  prevent  your  trying." 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  497 

"  What  is  the  use — when  she  has  made  her  choice 
of  the  other  man?  " 

"  Who  said  so?  "  cried  Phil  vehemently. 

"You  did." 

Phil's  lips  moved,  but  when  he  eventually  spoke,  it 
was  clear  his  words  were  other  than  those  dictated  by 
his  first  impulse. 

"  Leuw,  I  implore  you — try." 

Leuw  shook  his  head  with  a  pretense  of  despairing 
obstinacy. 

"  By  the  way — I  am  to  give  you  this,"  he  said. 

Phil  took  the  little  packet,  which  bore  no  super- 
scription, with  nonchalant  indifference.  He  opened 
it  negligently,  drew  out  the  torn  agreement,  and 
looked  at  it,  dazed  and  vacantly.  Again  and  again 
he  looked,  and  still  did  not  understand.  So  Dulcie's 
suggestion  was  a  happy  one  after  all;  it  saved  him 
quite  a  minute  of  doubt — such  a  minute,  as  might 
have  made  a  difference  to  any  man's  sanity.  But  the 
accompanying  message  said  clearly  enough:    - 

"  I  prefer  breaking  this  to  breaking  my  heart. 
Come." 

But  despite  the  sudden  impact  of  gladdening  cer- 
ta'  lty,  which  almost  made  more  havoc  of  him  than 
his  previous  bewilderment,  his  first  thought  was  for 
his  brother.  His  half-share  in  Dulcie's  secret  had 
come  back  to  him,  just  when  the  need  for  it  was  most 
imminent;  and,  of  course,  he  could  do  with  it  what  he 
liked. 

'  Leuw,  the  some  one  else  is  yourself — I  swear  it," 
he  cried  exultantly. 

Leuw  gripped  the  outstretched  hand  in  both  of  his, 
as  he  replied,  mischief  and  triumph  blending  in  his 
voice : 

P.2 


498  SONS   OF  THE  COVENANT: 

"  Phil,  Phil,  aren't  you  ashamed  to  let  yourself  get 
hoaxed  like  this?  Didn't  you  see  I  knew?  Forgive 
the  little  joke."" 

"Forgive?  I  will  do  more  than  that:  I  will  laugh 
with  you.  Well,  what  are  we  waiting  for?  Let's  go 
and  take  mother  the  finest  present  she  ever  had — two 
daughters  at  one  time.  Leuw,  isn't  this  the  best  of  all 
the  best  possible  worlds  ?". 


It  stands  to  reason  that  the  projected  journey 
abroad  was  unceremoniously  hustled  out  of  its  place 
in  the  catalogue  of  immediate  events.  Neither  Mrs. 
Duveen  nor  Mr.  Alexander  was  particularly  grieved 
at  not  having  to  exchange  the  secure  comforts  of 
their  home-life  for  the  doubtful  amenities  of  Conti- 
nental wear  and  tear.  Besides,  their  main  object  had 
been  already  brilliantly  achieved — a  thing  which 
Dulcie  lost  no  time  to  make  plain  to  them.  The  topic 
which  occupied  most  attention  was  the  forthcoming 
semi-formal  opening  of  the  provisional  premises  of 
the  Institute.  Leuw  and  Phil  had  decided  to  make 
it  an  almost  private  function,  so  as  to  prevent  any- 
thing in  the  nature  of  an  anti-climax,  when  the  perma- 
nent Foundation  would  come  to  be  inaugurated.  The 
Scheme  had  already  secured  a  number  of  influential 
well-wishers,  and  its  propaganda  promised  hopefully 
for  the  future. 

It  was  on  the  day  appointed  for  the  opening  that 
Leuw  called  for  Dulcie  at  an  early  hour  of  the  fore- 
noon. 

"  I  want  you  to  come  and  be  introduced  to  a  very 
great  friend  of  mine,  dearest,"  he  said. 


A  TALE  OF  LONDON  JEWRY  499 

"  With  pleasure,  but  don't  you  think  it  a  rather 
unorthodox  time  for  paying  a  visit?  "  she  asked. 

"  Oh,  he  won't  mind;  he  is  at  home  at  any  hour  of 
the  day,"  smiled  Leuw.  ' 

"  We  must  go  by  train ;  he  lives  some  little  way  out 
into  the  country,"  he  informed  her,  as  they  stepped 
out. 

An  hour  later  they  got  out  at  the  suburban  station, 
and  presently  had  left  behind  them  the  last  of  the  small 
cluster  of  private  residences  adjoining  it. 

"  We  are  nearly  there,  dear,"  said  Leuw  re-assur- 
ingly. 

Dulcie  looked  about  her  in  wonder.  "  Why,  I  don't 
see  any  houses — and  here  is  a  cemetery." 

That  is  where  my  friend  lives,"  said  Leuw 
solemnly. 

She  clutched  him  by  the  arm  eagerly.  "  Oh,  I 
know  whom  you  mean,  dear — the  old  man  I  have  once 
or  twice  heard  vaguely  mentioned,  the  one  who  loved 
you  so  much  and  was  so  good  to  you." 

The  same,"  affirmed  Leuw  gravely.  "  And  he 
was  good  to  me.  Without  him,  perhaps,  there  would 
have  been  no  success  in  life  for  me,  no  Scheme — no 
Dulcie." 

"  Don't  say  that,"  she  pleaded,  clinging  to  him  more 
closely.  '  It  makes  me  tremble  to  think  that  it  was 
all  an  accident.  It  wasn't,  Leuw.  Give  him  all  the 
credit  that  is  his  due.  But  I  am  certain  that  even  if 
the  opportunity  had  not  been  thrust  on  you,  as  it  were, 
you  would  somehow  have  managed  to  snatch  it  for 
yourself,  and  everything  would  have  been  just  as  it  is." 

'  I  see,  you  want  to  keep  your  good  opinion  of  me, 
and  not  have  my  genius  belittled,"  jested  Leuw,  smil- 


5oo 


SONS  OF  THE  COVENANT 


ing  at  her  tenderly.  "  Well,  I  am  willing  to  make  a 
compromise;  let  ns  put  it  down  to  capacity  judiciously 
tempered  with  luck.  I  don't  think  any  man,  whether 
of  our  race  or  any  other,  who  has  made  some  head- 
way, will  pretend  to  anything  more.  And  I  certainly 
see  no  reason  to  doubt  the  luck,"  he  added,  the  ten- 
derness of  his  smile  deepening  as  he  looked  at  her. 

They  had  reached  the  grave,  detached  from  the  rest 
by  the  foot-high  parapet  of  rail  surrounding  it.  There 
was  a  trim,  neat  look  about  it,  which  told  Leuw  that 
the  ground-keeper  had  conscientiously  earned  the 
yearly  stipend  he  had  allowed  him.  On  the  headstone 
gleamed  the  inscription:  "  Christopher  Donaldson. 
Unforgettable,"  as  fresh  and  bright  as  if  it  had  been 
lettered  there  but  yesterday.  Slowly  and  reverently 
Dulcie  placed  the  bunch  of  daffodils  she  carried  on 
the  grave. 

"  How  glad  he  must  feel  that  he  is  not  forgotten, " 
she  whispered. 

Leuw  said  nothing,  but  as  he  took  her  hand,  the 
thoughts  which  had  stirred  him  so  mightily  at  Chris- 
topher's funeral  service  came  back  to  him  with  the 
full  volume  and  weight  of  their  inner  truth.  Who 
knew  but  that  their  presence  at  this  lonely  grave  had 
brought  nearer,  by  one  infinitesimal  step,  the  grace 
and  good  accord  between  man  and  man,  which  would 
rival  the  imperishable  mercy  vouchsafed  by  heaven 
to  earth  ever  since  the  time  of  the  very  oldest  of  God's 
covenants? 

THE    END 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


